MEEEY'S  BOOK 


OF 


ANIMALS. 


EDITED    BY 

UNCLE    MERRY. 


NEW-YORK: 
H.   DAYTON,   No.    36   HOWARD   STREET. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  IND.  !    ASHER  &  CO. 

1860. 


(Mir.  Libraiy,  uc  Sante  Craz  t999 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1859,  by 
H.    DAYTON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


J.  J..RBKD,  PRINTER  &.  STERKOTVPER, 
43  &  45  Centre  Street. 


0-S 


COSFTEFTS. 


PAOH 

The  Shepherd  Boy, 13 

The  Pet  Goat, 19 

Harry  Hatchet's  Dog, 23 

The  Polar  Bear, 30 

The  Names  of  Animals, 33 

A  Dead  Shot, 85 

Think  of  It, 37 

Hunting  Deer  in  the  Highlands, 38 

A  Monkey's  Memory, v 41 

The  Leopard 46 

The  Shepherd's  Dog, 49 

Peculiarities  of  the  Reindeer, 50 

The  Coach  Dog, 52 

The  Rhinoceros, 59 

Anecdotes  of  the  Crocodile, 64 

Gratias  the  Caterpillar, 69 

Theda's  Pussey, 76 

Elephants — How  Taken  and  Managed, 79 

The  Foolish  Mouse, 83 

Men  vs.  Animals, 84 

Monkey  Luck, : 87 

The  Royal  Tiger, 88 

A  Visit  to  a  Menagerie, 90 

Hippopotamus  Hunting 99 

A  Spidor  Drowned  Out, ; 106 


VI  CONTENTS. 

PACK 

The  Ichneumon  Fly, 107 

Deacon  Short's  Cattle, 109 

Communication  of  Ideas  Among  Cattle, 112 

Dr.  Dunlop  and  the  Tiger, 114 

Duelling  Among  Musquitoes, 115 

The  Rabbit, 116 

TheLizzaYd, 117 

The  Whale, f 120 

Rats, 122 

The  Pet  Chicken, 129 

The  Pangolin, 133 

Gazelles  and  Gazelle  Hunting, 135 

The  Elephant, 139 

The  Traveled  Monkey, 147 

The  Camel, 165 

The  Hamster  or  Marmot, 167 

My  Squirrel 173 

The  Grey  Squirrel, 178 

The  Lion, 179 

The  Elk 188 

How  Apes  Catch  Crabs  and  Crabs  Catch  Apes, 192 

The  Bears  and  Bees, 196 

The  Giraffe 197 

The  Witch  Rabbit, 207 

The  Rabbits, 211 

The  Good  Dog  and  Bad  Boy, 213 

A  Remarkable  Cat., 216 

The  Homed  Owl, 218 

Reynard,  The  Filibuster, .' 220 

The  Opossum, 224 

The  Lynx, 227 

The  Ages  of  Animals, 229 

The  Ibex, 231 

Don't  Kill  the  Butterflies 233 

The  Horse,..                                                                                .  237 


Turning  out  the  Sheep, 13 

Lost  on  the  Mountain, 17 

The  Pet  Goat, 19 

The  Pets, 24 

Our  Rover, 26 

The  Playmate, 28 

The  Polar  Bear 30 

Sporting  Fish, 35 

The  Deer, 38 

Antelopes, 39 

A  Knowing  Monkey, 41 

The  Leopard, 4fl 

The  Reindeer, 50 

The  Coach  Dog, ' ; 52 

The  Rhinoceros, 59 

The  Two  Horned  Rhinoceros, 62 

The  Crocodile, 65 

Gratias  the  Caterpillar, 69 

The  Chrysalis, 73 

Theda's  Pussey, 76 

Puss  Playing  Ball 77 

Tiger  Hunt  with  Elephants, 78 

Trapping  Elephants, 81 

"The  Foolish  Mouse, 83 

Cats-Paw, 87 

The  Royal  Tiger, ." 88 

The  Menagerie, 90 

The  Leopard, 91 


Vlll  ENGRAVINGS. 

PAGE 

The  Hyena, 02 

The  Bear,.  „ 93 

The  Playing  Monkey, 94 

The  Elephant, 95 

The  Zebra, 97 

The  Camel  Leopard, 97 

The  Ostrich, 98 

Hippopotamus, 99 

Spearing  Hippopotami,. 103 

Ichneumon  Fly, 107 

Deacon  Short's  Cattle, 109 

The  Whale, 120 

The  Pet  Chicken, 129 

The  Pangolin, 132 

The  Gazelle, 135 

The  Elephant, 139 

The  Encounter — The  Rescue, 145 

A  Traveled  Monkey, 147 

The  Camel, 165 

The  Grey  Squirrel, 177 

The  Lion, 179 

The  Elk, 189 

The  Giraffe, 197 

Witch  Rabbit, 209 

Pet  Rabbits, 212 

The  Dog, 215 

The  Cat, 216 

Reynard,  the  Filibuster, 220 

The  Fox, 222 

The  Chase, 223 

The  Opossum, 224 

The  Lynx, 227 

The  Ibex, .231 

Don't  Kill  the  Butterflies, 233 

The  Horse, 237 


PREFACE. 


¥E  have  had  many  a  pleasant  "  chat n  with  our 
young  friends  about  matters  and  things  in  gene- 
ral, and  some  in  particular.  We  now  invite  them,  one 
and  all,  to  a  special  chat  about  the  animal  creation — 
not  a  brutal  chat,  but  a  chat  about  brutes.  Come,  let 
us  ramble  in  the  fields,  and  in  the  woods,  let  us  walk 
about  the  farm-yards,  and  peep  into  the  menageries  and 
museums,  and  see  what  we  can  find  to  interest  us. 

The  animals — the  beasts  of  the  field  and  the  forest — 
were  created  before  man  ;  but  they  were  brought  to 
Adam  to  be  named.  He  was  their  acknowledged  lord. 
Adam  must  have  known  a  great  deal  of  the  characters 
and  habits  of  the  animals,  to  be  able  to  give  them  ap- 
propriate names.  How  did  he  becom'e  acquainted  with 
them  so  soon  ? 

Noah,  too,  must  have  understood  the  animals  very 
well,  to  be  able  to  provide  for  so  many,  and  take  care 
of  them  a  whole  year,  in  his  great  floating  menagerie. 


X  PBEF ACE. 

Solomon  is  said,  also,  to  have  studied  and  written 
much  about  the  beasts.  The  books  he  wrote  about  them 
were  not  preserved.  They  are  all  lost.  How  much 
would  not  the  world  now  give  to  see  one  of  those 
books.  Great  and  wise  men  have  always  loved  to  study 
the  works  of  God — the  trees — the  animals — the  stars. 
There  is  no  study  more  interesting  than  that  of  animals. 
We  never  can  become  acquainted  with  the  whole  of 
them,  perhaps  ;  but  we  can  always  be  learning  some- 
thing about  them.  New  wonders  will  be  always  meet- 
ing our  eyes,  as  we  read  and  study.  And  we  shall  be 
constantly  gaining  new  and  enlarged  ideas  of  the  wis- 
dom, power,  and  goodness  of  God. 

The  study  of  the  animal  creation  is  not  only  interest- 
ing, but  very  useful,  to  young  persons.  They  ought  to 
learn,  as  early  as  possible,  all  they  can  about  the 
characters  and  habits,  not  only  of  those  domestic  ani- 
mals which  they  have  about  them  at  home,  but  of  those 
around  in  the  fields  and  forests,  with  which  they  often 
have  much  to  do.  Without  this  knowledge  they  can- 
not derive  as  much  advantage  as  they  otherwise  might 
do,  from  the  tame  and  useful  animals,  nor  guard  them- 
selves wisely  from  the  injuries  which  the  wild,  or  veno- 
mous might  inflict  upon  them.  It  is  by  knowing  what 
animals  are,  and  observing  their  habits,  that  men  are 


PREFACE.  •  XI 

able  to  manage  them,  train  them  to  be  submissive  and 
useful,  and  turn  them  to  profitable  account.  It  is  hoped 
that  all  our  young  friends  will  become  interested  in  this 
study,  and  improve  every  opportunity  to  pursue  it.  In 
the  present  little  work,  we  may  tell  them  some  things 
which  many  of  them  know  already.  But  we  think  there 
are  few  of  them  who  will  not  learn  something  new,  and 
some  things  that  will  amuse  and  please  them.  We  think, 
too,  that  mpst  of  them  will  eagerly  ask  for  "  more." 


THE  SHEPHERD  BOY. 

THERE  was  once  a  little  boy  named  Dick.    He 
took  care  of  his  father 's  sheep.     His  father  was 
a  farmer  in  the  neighborhood  of  Paris.     One  day, 


14  MERRY'S    BOOK. 

a  little  boy,  one  of  his  schoolmates,  came  to  pass 
the  day  with  him  on  the  mountain. 

This  was  little  Albert.  He  was  very  fond  of 
Dick,  and  he  was  glad  that  his  parents  had  given 
him  permission  to  pass  a  day  with  his  friend,  and 
see  how  he  took  care  of  his  sheep. 

After  they  had  walked  about  and  played  till  they 
were  tired,  they  sat  down  under  a  shady  tree  to 
rest,  and  Dick  told  Albert  a  story  of  what  happen- 
ed to  him  when  he  first  began  to  look  after  the 
sheep. 

One  day,  when  his  father  thought  he  had  been  a 
particularly  good  boy,  he  gave  him  a  little  lamb  for 
his  own,  and  said  to  him,  "  Dick,  you  have  taken  such 
good  care  of  my  sheep,  that  it  is  but  fair  I  should 
repay  you.  This  lamb  is  your  own  property — put 
a  collar  and  bell  about  it,  and  take  care  not  to  let  it 
get  lost." 

Dick  thanked  his  father.  He  was  delighted  with 
his  little  lamb: — he  caressed  it — and  it  shared  his 
luncheon  with  him. 

One  day,  when  Dick  as  usual  drove  his  flock  to 
pasture  on  the  mountain,  after  having  eaten  a  part 
of  the  provision  which  he  had  in  his  basket,  he  fell 
asleep.  The  poor  child  did  not  look  forward  to  the 
misfortunes  which  threatened  him.  While  he  was 
asleep,  Ba-ba,  for  that  was  the  name  he  had  given 
his  favorite,  in  browsing  and  running  about,  got 
over  to  the  other  side  of  the  mountain.  It  was 


OP      ANIMALS.  15 

lost — its  cries  could  not  be  beard — it  looked  for  its 
master,  and  the  more  it  sought  him,  the  farther  it 
strayed  from  the  right  way.*  Poor  Dick  awoke,  he 
called  Ba-ba,  but  it  did  not  come  ;  he  rubbed  his 
eyes  to  try  to  discover  it,  but  all  his  searching  was 
in  vain  ;  his  misfortune  was  certain.  "  Oh  dear," 
cried  he,  "  what  shall  I  tell  my  father,  who  has 
given  me  this  lamb  ?  how  careless  he  will  think  I 
have  been  of  his  present,  which  I  really  prized  so 
highly.  And  you,  poor  Ba-ba,  what  can  have  be- 
come of  you  !  You  will  die  of  hunger,  and  it  will 
be  my  fault."  And  poor  Dick  could  not  help  cry- 
ing bitterly. 

Suddenly  he  saw  an  old  woman  approaching  him, 
who  could  scarcely  walk,  she  was  so  tired.  Dick 
was  so  full  of  his  own  trouble,  that  he  did  not  at 
first  pay  her  much  attention ;  but  presently  she 
spoke  to  him,  and  said,  "  Good-day,  my  good  shep- 
herd, you  seem  afflicted,  and  I  am  in  trouble  myself, 
for  I  have  lost  my  way  ;  I  have  been  traveling  for 
six  hours,  and  I  have  had  no  breakfast,  and  it  is  so 
hot  that  I  am  dying  with  thirst." 

On  hearing  these  words  Dick  went  to  his  basket. 
"  There,  good  mother,"  said  he,  "  take  this  piece  of 
cake  and  these  cherries  ;  I  am  very  glad  I  had  not 
eaten  up  all  my  luncheon — wait  a  moment." 

He  then  ran  to  a  brook  which  was  at  the  foot  ot 
the  hill,  and  came  back  out  of  breath,  with  his  little 
tin  mug  full  of  water,  and  he  came  very  gently  that 
he  need  not  spill  it. 


16  MERRY'S    BOOK 

"  How  kind  and  good  you  are  I"  said  she,  when 
she  had  drank  it.  Now  tell  me  what  you  were  cry- 
ing for  when  I  came  up  to  you  ?" 

Then  Dick  told  her  his  trouble. 

"  My  son,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  dry  your  tears, 
for  I  know  where  your  lamb  is,  and " 

"  Is  it  possible,"  cried  Dick,  hugging  the  old  wo- 
man, "  is  it  possible  that  I  shall  see  again  my  poor 
little  Ba-ba  ?  Tell  me  quickly  where  she  is,  that  I 
may  run  after  her.  Ah,  my  good  mother,  how 
much  I  am  obliged  to  you  ;  where  is  it,  where  is  my 
poor  little  lamb  ?" 

"  My  son,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  I  will  lead  you 
there,  but  wait  till  I  am  a  little  rested." 

"  But  tell  me,  mother,  only  tell  me,  and  I  can  go 
myself." 

"  No,  no,  I  will  go  with  you." 

Dick  was  much  vexed  at  being  obliged  to  wait, 
but  he  knew  how  to  show  the  proper  respect  to  old 
age.  He  did  not  insist  any  further,  but  sat  down 
near  her  and  waited  till  she  was  ready  to  set  out. 

"  Here,  my  son,"  said  she,  "  I  should  be  glad  to 
make  acquaintance  with  you  ;  your  kind  heart  in- 
terests me.  I  am  very  old — I  know  a  great  many 
things,  and  I  may  be  useful  to  you  in  the  course  of 
your  life.  What  is  your  father's  name  ?" 

"  Michael." 

"  Ah,  I  know  him  ;  he  is  a  good  man  ;  and  your 
name  ?" 


OP     ANIMALS. 


17 


"  Dick,  ma'am.  But,  my  good  ma'am,  it  seems 
to  me  that  you  do  not  look  hot  now,  and  we  might 
set  out." 


LOST  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

"  Have  patience,  little  boy,  you  have  better  legs 
than  mine." 

"  Pardon  me,  my  good  mother,  I  will  wait  as  long 
.as  you  please." 


18  M  ERRY  JS  B  OOK 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  she,  getting  up,  "  I  will  make  an 
exertion  for  your  sake,  you  are  so  gentle  and  pa- 
tient ;  give  me  your  arm." 

Then  she  led  him  to  the  place  where  she  found 
the  little  lamb,  which  she  had  asked  a  peasant  to 
keep  for  its  owner.  Dick  took  his  dear  Iamb,  in 
his  arms,  thanked  the  old  woman  over  and  over 
again,  and  invited  her  to  go  with  him  to  his  father's 
house. 

The  good  old  woman  was  so  much  pleased  with 
Dick,  that  she  took  upon  herself  to  teach  him  to 
read  and  write — and  he  was  better  educated  than 
any  of  the  neighboring  boys,  for  they  were  em- 
ployed most  of  the  time  in  keeping  their  father's 
sheep.  He  did  all  he  could  to  instruct  his  compan- 
ions, so  that  they  were  much  improved. 

This  story  Dick  told  Albert,  but  not  exactly  in 
these  words,  but  this  was  the  true  state  of  the  case. 
Albert  was  greatly  pleased  with  it,  and  Dick 
showed  him  his  lamb,  which  had  grown  up  into  a 
stout  sheep,  and  had  furnished  its  master  with  more 
than  one  pair  of  stockings. 

Dick  continued  to  study  all  his  leisure  hours  and 
improve  himself,  till  at  last  he  became  the  school- 
master of  his  native  village.  He  was  a  very  great 
favorite  of  the  papas  and  mammas,  and  all  the  old 
ladies  ;  and  was  as  much  liked  by  the  children  as 
any  schoolmaster  could  be. 


OF     ANIMALS. 


19 


o 


THE  PET  GOAT. 

NE  bleak  day  in  February,  as  little  Fannie  was 
returning  home  from  school  throucrh  thp,  woods 


BOOK 

she  found  a  little  kid,  apparently  but  a  day  old. 
The  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  and  the  poor 
little  creature  was  so  benumbed  by  the  cold  that  it 
could  scarcely  move.  Fannie  took  it  in  her  arms, 
and  hastened  home.  Her  mother  gave  her  permis- 
sion to  keep  it  as  a  pet,  and  Fannie  immediately  got 
a  basket  of  nice  dry  hay,  and  laid  the  kid  in  it'. 
She  then  got  it  some  milk,  which  it  lapped  up,  and 
appeared  to  like  very  much,  as  it  got  up  and  frisk- 
ed around  the  room.  Fannie  wished  to  give  her 
pet  a  name,  and  she  at  last  bestowed  upon  it  the 
name  of  "  Billy." 

He  became  very  fond  of  her,  and  her  presence 
created  a  sort  of  sunshine  to  him ;  when  she  was 
with  him,  he  would  frisk  about  and  appear  very 
happy.  He  grew  finely,  and  was  soon  large  enough 
to  do  a  great  deal  of  mischief.  He  would  nip  off 
the  buds  of  young  roses  in  Fannie's  garden,  and  soil 
her  clothes  by  rubbing  against  her  and  trying  to 
jump  into  her  lap.  In  this  way  he  would  sometimes 
make  his  mistress  angry,  but  she  soon  made  friends 
with  him  again. 

He  was  of  a  very  pretty  color,  white,  with  black 
spots  all  about  the  head  and  neck,  black  feet,  and  a 
black  nose.  One  day  Fannie  was  very  much  fright- 
ened about  her  little  pet,  for  as  she  was  walking 
along  in  the  meadow,  with  little  Billy  frisking  along 
by  her  side,  a  large  mastiff  belonging  to  one  of  the 
neighbors  came  up  and  began  to  bark  and  worry 


OP     ANIMALS.  21 

Mm.  Fannie  screamed,  and  soon  one  of  her  broth- 
ers ran  to  the  assistance  of  Billy.  But  before  he 
could  drive  away  the  dog  it  had  bitten  Billy's  leg 
and  broken  it.  Fannie  cried  a  great  deal  about  it, 
but,  with  her  brother's  assistance,  she  got  the  poor 
creature  home,  and  washed  and  dressed  its  leg.  In 
the  course  of  three  weeks  it  was  perfectly  well. 

Billy  was  very  fond  of  following  his  mistress,  and 
very  often  wished  to  go  to  school  with  her,  but  he 
was  always  driven  home.  One  day,  however,  Billy 
thought  he  would  go  to  school,  whether  his  mistress 
was  willing  or  no  ;  so  he  followed  her  at  a  distance, 
and  she  had  been  in  school  but  a  few  minutes  when 
she  heard  all  the  children  laugh,  and  looking  to  find 
the  cause  of  their  mirth,  what  should  she  see  but 
little  Billy  sitting  by  her  side !  Of  course  he  was 
sent  home  again. 

A  short  time  after  this,  Fannie's  father  sold  his 
farm,  and  purchased  another  in  a  different  state, 
and  he  said  it  would  be  too  much  trouble  to  carry 
Billy  along  with  them  ;  but  Fannie  would  not  hear 
of  any  such  thing  as  leaving  her  pet  behind ;  so 
after  a  great  deal  of  persuasion,  and  many  tears  on 
her  part,  her  father  consented  to  take  him  along. 
The  day  they  were  to  depart,  Billy  was  nowhere  to 
be  found.  The  servants  and  Fannie's  brothers 
searched  every  part  of  the  house  and  yard,  and,  at 
last,  found  him  snugly  taking  a  nap  on  some  straw 
in  the  coal-house.  He  was  so  dirty  that  Fannie 


22  MERRY'S    BOOK 

hardly  knew  him.  However,  the  only  thing  she 
could  do  was  to  wash  him,  and  caution  him  not  to 
go  into  such  a  place  again. 

Billy's  horns  had  come  out,  and  it  would  make 
you  laugh  to  see  him  butt.  Billy  liked  his  new 
home  very  well.  There  was  a  nice  garden  in  front 
of  the  house,  and  a  large  meadow  behind  it,  through 
which  ran  a  pleasant  little  brook,  its  borders  cover- 
ed with  wild  flowers  ;  and  every  pleasant  morning 
you  might  see  Fannie  and  Billy  skipping  along, 
Fannie  picking  wild  flowers,  and  Billy,  every  now 
and  then,  nipping  off  a  daisy.  Here  Billy  had  no 
ugly  mastiff,  to  fear. 

But  he  could  not  always  be  young.  He  has  now 
grown  old  and  sedate,  and  does  not  frisk  and  play 
as  he  used  to.  He  still  likes  Fannie  as  well  as  ever, 
but  he  does  not  follow  her  as  much.  He  likes  to 
sit  down  in  the  sun,  with  his  head  down  as  if  med- 
itating on  some  great  subject.  He  has  a  nice  house 
and  lives  very  comfortably.  The  last  time  I  saw 
him  he  was  quite  gray  ;  his  beard  was  long  and 
grizzly,  and  his  aspect  quite  venerable. 


SIMPLIFYING  A  SPELLING  LESSON. — "  Spell  cat," 
said  a  little  girl  of  five,  the  other  day,  to  a  small 
one  of  only  three.  "I  can't,"  was  the  reply. 
"  Well,  then,  if  you  can't  spell  cat,  spell  kitten." 


OF     ANIMALS. 


23 


HARRY  HATCHET'S  DOG. 

ESSIE,"  said  Harry  one 
morning  at  breakfast,  "  I'm 
to  have  a  fine  dog  one  of 
these  days." 

"  You  are  to  have,"  ex- 
claimed Uncle  Hiram ;  "  why 
I  should  think  you  already 
have  all  you  can  possibly 
need  ;  let  me  see — Watch 

is  one.'1 

"  He  is  not  mine,  he's  the  house-dog  ;  you  want 
him  to  keep  watch  according  to  his  name,"  said 
Harry. 

"  Well,  there's  Topsey,  and  Rover—" 

"  Oh,  they  are  only  fit  for  pets  for  the  girls,"  said 
Harry,  "  and  then  *  Sport' — he  is  a  first-rate  fellow, 
but  he  is  not  fit  for  every  thing." 

"  Yery  well — what  is  your  new  dog  to  be  then  ?" 
asked  Uncle. 

"  A  first-rate,  a  No.  1  hunting  dog." 

"  So,"  whistled  Uncle  Hiram,  "your  trip  last  year 
and  sporting  experience  therein,  has  given  you  a 
taste  for  that  amusement  ?" 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  exclaimed  Harry  ;  "  I  was  never 
so  happy  in  my  life  ;  and  when  I  am  more  used  to 
it,  I  shall  do  so  much  better,  that  I  shall  enjoy  it 


24 


ME-RRY'S   BOOK 


more — I  was  so  free  and  independent — and,  more- 
over, I'm  a  very  good  shot,  I  would  have  you 
know." 


THE    PETS. 

"  But  you  have  not  told  us  where  this  wonderful 
dog  is  to  come  from,  Harry,"  said  Jessie. 

"  Oh,  I  forgot,"  said  Harry  ;  "  Clem  Harding, 
who  was  with  us  last  year,  promised  him  to  me,  I 
took  such  a  fancy  to  him — he  was  so  very  intelli- 
gent." 

"  Which  ?  Clem,  or  the  dog  ?"  asked  Uncle. 


OFANIMALS.  .  25 

"  The  dog  ?"  said  Harry  ;  "  Clem  is  intelligent 
enough,  everybody  knows,  without  my  telling  it." 

"  That's  what  always  puzzles  me,  father,"  said 
Edith,  looking  up  earnestly  ;  "  dogs  are  intelligent, 
and  seem  almost  to  think  ;  then  why  haven't  they 
minds  as  well  as  men  and  women  ?" 

"  A  great  many  wiser  heads  than  yours  have 
been  puzzled  with  such  questions,"  answered  her 
father  ;  "  we  cannot  certainly  say  in  what  consists 
man's  superiority — nor  how  far  the  reasoning  fac- 
ulty of  animals  reaches." 

"  They  sometimes  seem  to  think  just  as  much  as 
any  one  of  us,  and  just  as  well,  too,"  said  Edith. 

"  That  they  do,"  cried  Harry  ;  "  and  /never  saw 
any  dog  that  could  think  as  well  and  sensibly  as 
Clem's  '  Ranger ;'  that's  what  took  me  com- 
pletely." 

"  Won't  you  tell  us  about  him.  then  ?"  said 
Jessie. 

"  Oh,  yes — nothing  would  please  me  better,  for  I 
want  you  all  to  have  a  liking  for  my  new  pet  when 
he  comes.  Let  me  see,  he  did  so  many  sensible 
things,  that  I  don't  know  where  to  begin." 

"  Oh,  anything — the  first  thing  you  think  of," 
cried  Jessie,  eager  to  hear  anything  in  the  shape  of 
a  story. 

**  Well,  once  when  we  were  trying  to  shoot  some 
ducks,  we  left  our  hats,  etc.,  quite  a  distance  from 
the  river,  and  crept  through  the  reeds  so  that  they 


26 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


might  not  see  us  and  fly  away,  before  we  had  a 
chance  at  them  ;  when  we  got  there  we  fired,  and 
didn't  do  much  execution,  so  we  concluded  to  lie 
still,  and  have  another  shot  when  the  birds  alighted 
again.  Of  course  we  wanted  our  hats  ;  so  Clem 
sent  Ranger  back  for  them  ;  first  he  took  Clem's 


OUR   ROVER. 

and  started  to  bring  that,  but  Clem  motioned  him 
back,  and  he  understood  that  he  must  bring  both. 
You  ought  to  have  seen  him  work.  First  he  would 
take  one,  and  then  try  to  get  tho  other  up,  but  the 
broad  stiff  brims  wouldn't  let  him,  and  away  would 
go  the  first  one  ;  once  he  almost  succeeded.  The 
two  were  fairly -in  his  laouth,  out  they  >YI  nM  not 
stay  there.  He  stopped,  and  was  evidently  deep 
in  thought.  He  stood  perfectly  still  for  about  a 


OP     ANIMALS.  27 

minute,  looking  at  the  hats,  and  then  took  one  hat, 
put  it  inside  of  the  other,  pushed  it  down  with  his 
paw,  and  in  the  most  satisfied,  triumphant  manner 
seized  them  and  brought  them  to  us.  Don't  you 
call  that  thinking  ?" 

"  Bravo,  Ranger,"  cried  Uncle  Hiram,  "  he  cer- 
tainly can  reason  pretty  well." 

"  When  is  this  wonderful  Ranger  coming  ?"  asked 
Lucy. 

"  In  a  day  or  two,"  said  Harry,  springing  up  and 
catching  Jessie  in  his  arms,  to  give  her  a  lesson  in 
waltzing,  as  he  called  it,  swinging  her  rapidly 
round. 

"  He'll  beat  all  the  dumb  creatures  about  here, 
for  sense  /mean.  We  shan't  hear  anything  more 
of  the  squirrel  after  that ;"  and  so  saying  he  waltzed 
himself  out  of  the  room. 

"  Oh,  father,  that  poor  little  boy  and  his  squir- 
rel— don't  you  remember  ?"  said  Lucy  and  Edith  in 
one  breath. 

"  We  ought  to  go  and  see  them,  certainly,"  said 
Uncle  Hiram.  "  You  must  make  some  appoint- 
ment for  me,  and  I  will  keep  it." 

"  Shall  it  be  this  afternoon,  then,  father  ?"  said 
Edith,  who  could  never  wait  long  for  any  pleasure. 

"  Yes,  this  afternoon,  if  you  please,"  said  Uncle, 
"  only  don't  insist  upon  going  too  early  •  we  will 
walk  there  about  sunset." 

"  Now  I  think  of  it,"  added  Uncle  Hiram,  "  I  have 


XX  MERRY'S    BOOK 

another  story  of  the  sagacity  of  a  dog  who  belonged 
to  one  of  my  friends,  and  which  is  a  pretty  fair 
match  for  Harry's  Ranger.  I  wish  he  was  here  to 
hear  it. 

"  This  was  a  large,  powerful,  quiet  dog,  of  the 
Newfoundland  family,  who  was  trained  to  go  to 
market,  and  do  other  errands  for  the  family.  They 
w-uld  wrap  the  money  in  paper,  put  it  into  a  bas- 


THE    PLAYMATE. 

ket,  and  send  Rover  with  it  to  the  grocer's,  or  to 
the  market.  The  change,  if  any,  was  sent  back  in 
the  same  way,  with  the  articles  purchased,  and  al- 
ways were  safely  delivered. 

**  His  master  had  a  little  boy  who  went  to  school, 
and  Rover  was  sometimes  employed  to  carry  the 
boy's  cap,  or  some  other  article.  One  day,  when 
it  rained,  Rover  was  called  up,  and  told  to  carry 


OFANIMALS.  29 

Charley's  India  rubbers  to  him,  at  school.  He  took 
them  in  his  mouth,  and  was  going  out  of  the  door 
v  ith  them,  when  he  chanced  to  notice  Charley's 
cap,  on  the  hat  tree.  He  dropped  the  shoes,  took 
down  the  cap,  and  then  for  some  time  puzzled  him- 
self to  get  hold  of  the  three  articles  together.  At 
length,  stopping  and  taking  an  earnest  look  at  the 
matter,  he  very  deliberately  took  up  the  shoes, 
placed  them  in  the  cap,  and  then  marched  gravely 
off,  with  an  expression  of  perfect  satisfaction  that 
was  amusing  to  the  lookers-on,  as  it  was  comfort- 
able to  himself." 


a 


30 


MERRY 'S     BOOK 


THE  POLAR  BEAR. 


OF     ANIMALS. 


31 


THE  POLAR  BEAR. 


HE  Polar  bear  is  sometimes  called 
the  maritime  bear,  because  it  is  so 
fond  of  the  sea.  He  is  not  exactly  am- 
phibious, but  is  an  excellent  diver  and 
swjmmer,  and  lives  as  nearly  as  much  in 
the  water  as  on  the  land. 
The  Polar  bear  is  always  white,  very  large,  power- 
ful, ferocious,  and  daring  ;  a  terrible  fellow  to  en- 
counter unless  you  are  remarkably  well  afmed. 
He  is  more  fond  of  animal  food  than  any  other 
species  of  bear,  though  equally  capable  of  living  on 
vegetable  food.  He  finds  an  ample  supply  even  in 
the  desolate  regions  where  he  chooses  to  reside,  of 
seals,  young  whales,  and  the  carcasses  of  whales, 
which  are  thrown  out  by  the  whalers,  after  they 
have  taken  what  they  want  for  oil,  etc.  How  he 
manages  to  live  in  such  regions  of  perpetual  ice,  it 
is  difficult  to  imagine  ;  but  he  is  never  found  except 
in  the  high  northern  latitudes,  along  the  borders  of 
ice-bound  seas.  He  seems  to  require  a  large  range 
of  coast  for  his  domain  ;  for  lie  never  comes  down 


32 

into  Siberia  or  Kamschatka,  on  the  Eastern  Conti- 
nent, or  to  the  same  latitudes  on  the  Western,  ex- 
cept occasionally  to  the  upper  shores  of  Hudson's 
Bay.  He  is  not  even  found  in  the  islands  that  lie 
between  the  two  continents.  He  is  sometimes, 
though  very  rarely,  caught  out  of  his  latitude. 
This  is  when  some  field  of  ice,  on  which  he  has  fix- 
ed his  temporary  residence,  breaks  away  from  its 
moorings,  and  is  floated  by  the  currents  out  into 
the  open  sea.  Some  of  them  perish  in  this  way, 
not  being  able  to  regain  the  land,  and  their  ice- 
boat melting  under  them  as  it  comes  into  a  warmer 
region.  Some  of  them  are  taken  or  killed  by  the 
sailors  who  discover  them  in  this  situation,  though 
it  is  generally  found  a  very  dangerous  kind  of  sport 
to  meddle  with  them. 

The  Polar  bear  is  very  seldom  seen  in  our  cara- 
vans or  menageries,  because  in  the  first  place  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  catch  them,  and  in  the  second 
place,  quite  impossible  to  keep  them  alive  in  our 
warm  climate.  There  was  one,  and'  a  very  fine 
large  one,  exhibited  in  New  York  in  the  spring  of 
1826.  Though  the  weather  was  very- cool  at  the 
time,  he  suffered  greatly,  bathing  himself  in  cold 
water  as  often  as  he  could,  'and  seeming  never 
satisfied  except  when  he  could  have  ice  in  his  cage 
to  live  upon.  Uncle  Merry  says  he  saw  him,  and 
he  was  sweating  and  panting  like  a  race-horse  in 
August. 


OF     ANIMALS. 


33 


THE  NAMES  OF  ANIMALS, 


!N  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science,  recently,  at 
Albany,  Dr.  Weinland  read  an  inter- 
^  esting  paper  on  "  The  Names  of  Animals 
with  reference  to  Ethnology."  Very  many 
of  the  names  of  the  North  American  animals  are 
taken  from  European  animals — thus,  buffalo,  grouse, 
robin,  lizard,  chamois.  Nations  have  only  names 
for  their  native  animals.  Thus,  lion  in  all  modern 
languages,  is  leo  hardly  changed.*  The  camel  and 
the  tiger  derive  their  names  from  their  native 
countries,  other  nations  adopting  these  names  with 
slight  modifications.  The  elephant  is  so  called  in 
all  countries.  The  ass  got  his  name  from  the  old 
•Hebrews.  The  hare  and  the  deer,  which  occur 
both  in  Europe  and  Asia,  and  have  two  names,  one 
native  in  each  country — the  former  lepus,  and  the 
later  cervus.  Nations  try  to  reduce  all  foreign  ani- 
mals to  the  names  of  their  own,  by  adding  a  de- 
scriptive designation,  as  Guinea-pig,  camel-leopard, 
river-horse,  etc.  The  Anglo-Saxons  who  lived  on 
the  sea,  had  names  for  all  sea-animals,  but  the  Ger- 


34 

mans  of  the  interior  called  them  all  by  some  land 
name,  with  the  addition  of  "  sea,"  thus,  sea-horse, 
sea-dog,  sea-lion,  sea-tiger,  sea-mouse,  sea-devil. 

Almost  all  animals  were  originally  named  from 
their  qualities.  The  name  of  the  ass  comes  from  a 
root,  meaning  "  walk  slowly  ;"  the  serpent  to  "  glide 
quickly  ;"  the  rabbit  to  "  burrow  in  the  ground." 
Prof.  Haldeman  said  reindeer  meant  "  running  ani- 
mal ;  fox  is  from  the  Greek  phuxos,  "  sharp  ;"  ser- 
pent from  the  Latin  serpo,  "  to  creep  ;"  and  tiger 
from  the  Persian,  "  an  arrow."  Indian  tribes  call 
a  lion  by  a  name  meaning  "  having  a  long  tail ;"  a 
horse  by  a  name  meaning  "  like  a  deer  ;"  a  mole, 
"  having  his  right  hand  on  the  left  shoulder  ;"  a 
squirrel  by  a  name  meaning  "  he  can  stick  fast  in  a 
tree."  The  Indians  have  also  a  name  for  ahorse 
meaning  "having  only  one  toe."  Apropos  of  names, 
it  was  remarked  that  the  potato  is  called  in  German 
the  "  ground  pear." 


THE  bound  of  the  tiger,  when  springing  upon  his 
prey,  is  tremendous,  extending,  as  it  is  said,  to  the 
distance  of  100  feet.  It  is  from  this  spring  that  the 
animal  gets  his  name.  He,  as  it  were,  "  shoots  him- 
self at  his  prey  ;"  and  tiger,  in  the  Arminian  lan- 
gustge,  signifies  an  arrow — the  name  also  given  to 
the  river  Tigris,  on  account  of  its  velocity. 


OF     ANIMALS. 


85 


A  SPORTING  FISH. 


A  DEAD   SHOT. 

AN  interesting  account  is  given  in  the  eleventh 
number  of  the  Edinburgh  Philosophical  Journal, 
of  the  Jaculator  fish  of  Java,  by  a  gentleman  who 
had  an  opportunity  of  examining  some  specimens 
of  it  in  the  possession  of  a  chief. 


36 

The  fish  were  placed  in  a  small  circular  pond, 
from  the  centre  of  which  projected  a  pole  upward 
of  two  feet  in  height ;  at  the  top  of  this  pole  were 
inserted  several  small  pieces  of  wood,  sharpened  at 
the  points,  on  each  of  which  were  transfixed  some 
insects  of  the  beetle  tribe. 

When  all  had  become  quiet,  after  the  beetles  had 
been  secured,  the  fish,  which  had  retired  during 
the  operation,  came  out  of  their  hiding-places,  and 
began  to  circle  round  the  pond. 

One  of  them  at  length  rose  to  the  surface  of  the 
wrater,  and,  after  steadily  fixing  its  eyes  for  some 
time  upon  an  insect,  discharged  from  its  mouth  a 
small  quantity  of  water-like  fluid,  with  such  force 
and  precision  of  aim,  as  to  drive  the  beetle  off  the 
twig  into  the  water,  where  it  was  instantly  swal- 
lowed. 

After  this,  another  fish  came  and  performed  a 
similar  feat,  and  was  followed  by  the  rest,  till  all 
the  insects  were  devoured. 

The  writer  observed,  that  if  a  fish  failed  in  bring- 
ing down  its  prey  at  the  first  shot,  it  swam  around 
the  pond  until  it  again  came  opposite  the  same  ob- 
ject, and  fired  again. 

In  one  instance,  he  remarked  one  of  the  fish  re- 
turned three  times  to  the  attack,  before  it  secured 
its  prey  ;  but  in  general,  they  seemed  to  be  very 
expert  shots,  bringing  down  the  game  at  the  very 
first  discharge. 


OP     ANIMALS.  37 

The  Jaculator,  in  a  state  of  nature,  frequents  the 
banks  of  rivers  in  search  of  food.  When  it  spies  a 
fljf  settling  on  the  plants  that  grow  in  shallow 
water,  it  swims  on  to  the  distance  of  from  five  to 
six  feet  of  them,  and  then  with  surprising  dexteri- 
ty,  ejects  from  its  tubular  mouth  a  single  drop  of 
fluid,  which  rarely  fails  to  strike  the  fly  into  the 
water,  where  it  is  immediately  swallowed. 


THINK  OF  IT. 

A  HUMMING-BIRD  once  met  a  butterfly,  and, 
being  pleased  with  the  beauty  of  its  person 
and  the  glory  of  its  wings,  made  an  offer  of  perpet- 
ual friendship. 

"I  cannot  think  of  it,"  was  the  reply,  "as  you 
once  spurned  me,  and  called  me  a  crawling  dolt." 

"  Impossible,"  exclaimed  the  humming-bird,  "  I 
always  entertained'  the  highest  respect  for  such 
beautiful  creatures  as  you." 

"  Perhaps  you  do  now,"  said  the  other  ;  "  but 
when  you  insulted  me,  I  was  a  caterpillar.  So  let 
me  give  you  this  piece  of  advice  :  never  insult  the 
humble,  as  they  may  one  day  become  your  supe- 
riors." 

Boys  and  girls,  think  of  this. 


38 

HUNTING  DEER  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS, 


THE   DEER. 

THE  hart  is  an  animal  of  the  antelope  species  ; 
in  size  it  is  rather  smaller  than  the  fallow  deer. 
Its  colors  vary  somewhat  in  the  different  countries 
in  which  it  is  found.  It  is  generally,  however,  of 
a  dusky  brown,  mixed  with  red  ;  the  body  under- 
neath the  breast  and  the  inside  of  the  limbs  are 
white  ;  but  on  the  head,  back,  and  outside  of  the 
limbs,  the  hair  is  considerably  darker  than  on  any 
other  parts  of  the  body.  The  orbits  of  the  eyes 
are  white,  and  there  is  a  small  patch  of  the  same 
on  each  side  of  the  forehead.  The  horns  are  per- 
fectly black,  and  have  three  curves  ;  they  are 
marked  with  circles  almost  to  the  top  ;  they  are 
sixteen  inches  long.  The  female  has  no  horns. 
This  animal  has  a  sort  of  substance  in  its  stomach 
which  is  called  bozoar,  which  is  sometimes  of  a 
blood  color,  sometimes  pale  yellow,  and  of  all  the 


OF     ANIMALS. 


39 


shades  between  the  two.  It  is  as  hard  as  stone, 
and  is  generally  glossy  and  smooth,  with  a  smell 
which  is  considered  very  agreeable.  It  varies  in 
size  from  that  of  an  acorn  to  that  of  an  egg  ;  and 
the  larger  the  size,  the  more  valuable  it  is.  There 
was  a  time  when  a  stone  of  this  kind,  weighing 
four  ounces,  sold  in  Europe  for  above  two  hundred 


ANTELOPES. 

pounds,  but  at  present  they  are  of  comparatively 
little  value.  The  word  bezoar  is  derived  from  the 
Arabic  language,  where  it  signifies  antidote,  or 
counter  poison.  It  has  been  given  for  various  dis- 
eases, such  as  palpitation  of  the  heart,  colic,  jaun- 
dice ;  and  in  those  countries  where  the  price,  and 


40 

not  the  real  use  of  the  medicine  is  considered,  it 
has  been  given  for  almost  every  disease  which  can 
be  mentioned.  It  probably  possesses  merely  the 
virtues  of  common  chalk,  and  is  only  used  where 
the  knowledge  of  medicine  has  advanced  but  little. 

The  antelope  is  a  very  graceful  creature,  partic- 
ularly when  running.  It  is  found  principally  in  the 
hilly  parts  of  the  countries  which  it  inhabits.  It  is 
very  cunning,  and  requires  carefnl  watching  and 
much  tact  to  be  shot  or  taken.  They  run  in  herds, 
and  rarely  lie  down  altogether  ;  but  by  an  instinct 
given  them  by  Providence,  some  are  always  on  the 
watch,  and  when  they  are  fatigued,  they  give  notice 
to  those  who  have  rested,  who  arise  at  once  and  re- 
lieve the  sentinels  of  the  preceding  hours,  and  thus 
they  often  preserve  themselves  from  the  attacks  of 
wolves  and  huntsmen.  They  are  exceedingly  swift, 
and  will  outrun  the  fleetest  horse  or  greyhound.  If, 
however,  they  are  bitten  by  a  dog,  they  at  once  fall 
down,  nor  will  they  even  offer  to  rise  again. 

Deer  hunting  is  a  favorite  amusement  in  many 
countries.  These  animals  are  found  in  America, 
from  Canada  in  the  North,  to  the  banks  of  the  Oro- 
noco  in  South  America  ;  also  in  many  parts  of  Eng- 
land ;  although  they  are  not  so  plentiful  as  formerly, 
they  are,  however,  still  lo  be  found  in  the  Highlands 
of  Scotland  in  considerable  numbers. 


OP      ANIMALS. 


41 


A   MONKEY'S  MEMORY. 


A   KNOWING    MONKEY. 

A  UTHORS  generally  think  that  the  monkey  raco 
JL\.  are  not  capable  of  retaining  lasting  impres- 
sions, but  their  memory  is  remarkably  tenacious 
when  striking  events  call  it  into  action.  A  monkey 
which  was  permitted  to  run  free,  had  frequently 
seen  the  men-servants  in  the  great  country  kitchen, 
with  its  huge  fire-place,  take  down  a  powder-horn 
that  stood  on  the  chimney-piece,  and  throw  a  few 


42  MERRY'S   BOOK 

grains  into  the  fire,  to  make  Jemima  and  the  rest 
of  the  maids  jump  and  scream,  which  they  always 
did  on  such  occasions  very  prettily.  Pug  watched 
his  opportunity,  and  when  all  was  still,  and  he  had 
the  kitchen  all  to  himself,  he  clambered  up,  got  pos- 
session of  the  well-filled  powder-horn,  perched  him- 
self very  gingerly  on  one  of  the  horizontal  wheels 
placed  for  the  support  of  saucepans,  right  over  the 
warming  ashes  of  an  almost  extinct  wood-fire, 
screwed  off  the  top  of  the  horn,  and  reversed  it 
over  the  grate.  The  explosion  sent  him  half  way 
up  the  chimney.  Before  he  was  blown  up,  he  was 
a  snug,  trim,  well-conditioned  monkey  as  ever  you 
would  Wish  to  see  on  a  summer  day  ;  he  came  down 
a  carbonated  nigger  in  miniature,  in  an  avalanche 
of  burning  soot.  The  weight  with  which  he  pitch- 
ed upon  the  hot  ashes,  in  the  midst  of  the  general 
flare  up,  aroused  him  to  a  sense  of  his  condition. 
He  was  missed  for  days.  Hunger  at  last  drove 
him  forth,  and  he  sneaked  into  the  house,  close-sin- 
ged, begrimmed,  arid  looked  scared  and  ugly.  He 
recovered  with  care  ;  but,  like  some  great  person- 
ages, he  never  got  over  the  sudden  elevation  and 
fall,  but  became  a  sadder  if  not  a  wiser  monkey. 
If  ever  Pug  forgot  himself  and  was  troublesome, 
you  had  only  to  take  down  a  powder  horn  in  his 
presence,  and  he  was  off  to  his  hole  like  a  shot, 
screaming  and  shattering  his  jaws  like  a  pair  of  cas- 
tanets. 


OFANIMALS.  43 

Monkey  are  quadrumana — four-hand.  But,  while 
four  feet  contribute  to  swiftness,  and  four  hands  to 
agility,  that  combination  of  the  two,  as  in  man, 
which  gives  two  hands  and  two  feet,  with  separate 
and  distinct  functions,  is  not  only  far  the  most  con- 
venient, but  confers  far  greater  power,  variety,  and 
versatility  of  action.  To  no  animal,  except  man,  is 
the  upright  position  natural.  The  monkey  assumes 
it  occasionally,  for  convenience,  or  in  obedience  to 
the  training  of  a  human  master. 

There  are  three  distinct  families  of  monkeys, 
differing  from  each  other  in  some  respects  widely, 
but  having  the  same  general  characteristics. 

The  SIMTAD^B  include  all  the  animals  of  the  Old 
World,  known  as  apes,  monkeys,  and  baboons. 
The  ape  has  no  tail,  the  monkey  a  long  one,  and 
the  baboon  a  short  one. 

The  Chimpanse  is  a  species  of  ape,  approaching 
more  nearly  to  man  than  any  other  animal.  Even 
in  a  natural  state  he  sometimes  walks  erect,  sup- 
porting himself  witty  a  cane.  Some  of  them  have 
been  tamed  and  trained  to  various  kinds  of  useful 
labor,  such  as  bringing  water  from  the  well,  wash- 
ing dishes,  and  even  waiting  upon  table.  It  is  a 
native  of  Central  Africa. 

The  Ourang-Outang  belongs  also  to  the  ape  fami 
ly.  His  countenance  resembles  the  human  face 
more  than  that  of  any  other.  His  dwelling  is 
principally  in  trees,  and  he  moves  with  difficulty 


44  MERRY'SBOOK 

on  the  ground.  He  is  of  a  quiet,  grave,  and  even 
melancholy  disposition*  He  has  great  strength, 
and  when  excited-to  rage  is  often  very  savage.  He 
belongs  chiefly  to  the  peninsulas  and  islands  of 
Eastern  Asia. 

The  Ourang-Outang,  which,  in  the  Malay  lan- 
guage, means  "  wild  man"  is  incapable  of  walking 
upright.  He  is  not  very  large,  being  about  two 
feet  seven  inches  high.  The  hair  on  his  back  is 
five  or  six  inches  long. 

The  Saloon  has  usually  a  very  short  tail,  or  none 
at  all.  It  is  distinguished  from  the  ape  and  the 
monkey  by  the  protuberance  of  the  muzzle,  which 
gives  it  a  ferocious  aspect.  It  has  a  loud  and  dis- 
cordant voice,  and  is  less  companionable  and  docile 
than  the  other  species.  It  is  revengeful,  and  re- 
tains for  a  long  time  a  remembrance  of  an  injury 
done  it. 

The  Monkey,  properly  so  called,  is  also  of  the  ape 
species — a  bright,  smart,  mischievous,  cunning  fel- 
low, making  lots  of  fun  for  children,  in  all  our  towns 
and  cities,  but  often  very  cruelly  treated  by  their 
masters. 

We  should  not  take  as  much  pleasure  in  witness- 
ing the  curious  antics  of  monkeys,  if  we  knew  how 
hardly,  and  under  what  severe  treatment,  they 
learned  their  lessons. 

In  England,  a  fight  was  instigated  between  a 
monkey  and  bull-dog,  on  a  wager  of  three  guineas 


OF      ANIMALS.  45 

to  one,  that  the  dog  would  kill  the  monkey  in  six 
minutes.  The  owner  of  the  dog  agreed  to  permit 
the  monkey  to  use  a  stick  about  a  foot  long.  Hun- 
dreds of  spectators  assembled  to  witness  this  in- 
human sport.  The  owner  of  the  monkey  taking 
from  his  pocket  a  thick,  round  rule,  about  a  foot 
long,  threw  it  into  the  hand  of  the  monkey,  saying, 
"  Now  look  sharp — mind  that  dog."  "  Then  here 
goes  for  your  monkey,"  cried  the  butcher,  letting 
the  dog  loose,  which  flew  with  a  tiger-like  fierce- 
ness at  him.  The  monkey,  with  astonishing  agility, 
sprang  at  least  a  yard  high,  and  falling  on  the  dog, 
laid  fast  hold  to  the  back  of  his  neck  with  his  teeth, 
seizing  one  ear  with  his  left  paw,  so  as  to  prevent 
his  turning  to  bite.  In  this  unexpected  situation, 
Jack  fell  to  work  with  his  rule  upon  the  head  of 
the  dog,  which  he  beat  so  forcibly  and  rapidly, 
that  the  creature  cried  out  most  eloquently.  In  a 
short  time  the  dog  was  carried  off  in  nearly  a  life- 
less state,  with  his  skull  fractured.  The  monkey 
was  of  the  middle  size. 


46 


MERRY'S  BOOK 


THE  LEOPARD. 


HAVE  you  ever  seen  a  wild  leopard  ?  Probably 
not,  and  very  probably  you  would  not  like  to 
see  him  very  near,  unless  he  was  chained  or  caged. 
His  appearance  in  the  wild  state  is  exceedingly 
beautiful,  his  motions  in  the  highest  degree  easy 
and  graceful,  and  his  agility  in  bounding  among 
the  rocks  and  woods  quite  amazing.  He  usually 
shuns  a  conflict  with  a  man,  but,  when  driven  to 
desperation,  becomes  truly  a  formidable  antagonist. 
Two  African  farmers,  returning  from  hunting  the 
hartebeest (antilopc  babulis),  roused  a  leopard  in  a 
mountain  ravine;,  and  immediately  gave  chase  to 


OFANIMALS.  47 

him.  The  leopard  at  first  endeavored  to  escape  by 
clambering  up  a  precipice  ;  but  being  hotly  press- 
ed, and  wounded  by  a  musket  ball,  he  turned  upon 
his  pursuers  with  that  frantic  ferocity  peculiar  to 
this  animal  on  such  emergencies,  and  springing  on 
the  man  who  had  fired  at  him,  tore  him  from  his 
horse  to  the  ground,  biting  him  at  the  same  time 
on  the  shoulder,  and  tearing  one  of  his  cheeks 
severely  with  his  claws.  The  other  hunter  seeing 
the  danger  of  his  comrade,  sprang  from  his  horse, 
and  attempted  to  shoot  the  leopard  through  the 
head  ;  but,  whether  owing  to  trepidation,  or  the 
fear  of  wounding  his  friend,  or  the  quick  motions 
of  the  animal,  he  unfortunately  missed.  The  leo- 
pard, abandoning  his  prostrate  enemy,  darted  with 
redoubled  fury  upon  his  second  antagonist,  and  so 
fierce  and  sudden  was  his  onset,  that  before  the 
boor  could  stab  him  with  his  hunting-knife,  the 
savage  beast  struck  him  on  the  head  with  his  claws, 
and  actually  tore  the  scalp  over  his  eyes.  In  this 
frightful  condition,  the  hunter  grappled  with  the 
leopard  :  and,  struggling  for  life,  they  rolled  to- 
gether down  a  deep  declivity.  All  this  passed  far 
more  rapidly  than  it  can  be  described  in  words. 
Before  the  man  who  had  been  first  attacked  could 
start  to  his  feet  and  seize  his  gun,  they  were  rolling 
one  over  the  other  down  the  bank.  In  a  minute  or 
two  he  had  reloaded  his  gun,  and  rushed  forward 
to  save  the  life  of  his  friend.  But  it  was  too  late. 


48  MERRY'SBOOK 

The  leopard  had  seized  the  unfortunate  man  by  the 
throat,  and  mangled  him  so  dreadfully,  that  death 
was  inevitable  ;  and  his  comrade  (himself  severely 
wounded)  had  only  the  melancholy  satisfaction  of 
completing  the  destruction  of  the  savage  beast,  al- 
ready exhausted  with  the  loss  of  blood  from  several 
deep  wounds  by  the  desperate  knife  of  the  expiring 
huntsman. 

The  fur  of  the  leopard  (leo-pard,  or  spotted  lion) 
is  yellow,  with  ten  ranges  of  black  spots,  or  clusters 
of  spots,  on  each  side.  Each  spot  is  made  up  of  a 
number  of  smaller  spots. 


\ 


OF    'ANIMALS.  49 


THE  SHEPHERD'S  DOG. 

A  GENTLEMAN  sold  a  considerable  flock  of  sheep 
JTL  to  adealer,  which  the  latter  had  not  hands  to 
drive.  The  seller,  however,  told  him  he  had  a  very 
intelligent  dog,  which  he  would  send  to  assist  him 
to  a  place  about  thirty  miles  off ;  and  that  when  he 
reached  the  end  of  his  journey,  he  had  only  to  feed 
the  dog  and  desire  him  to  go  home.  The  dog  ac- 
cordingly received  his  orders,  and  set  off  with  the 
flock  and  the  drover  ;  but  he  was  absent  for  so 
many  days  that  his  master  began  to  have  serious 
alarms  about  him,  when  one  morning,  to  his  great 
surprise,  he  found  his  dog  returned  with  a  very 
large  flock  of  sheep,  including  the  whole  that  he 
had  lately  sold.  The  fact  turned  out  to  be,  that 
the  drover  was  so  pleased  with  the  colley  that  he 
resolved  to  steal  him,  and  locked  him  up  till  the 
time  when  he  was  to  leave  the  country.  The  dog 
grew  sulky,  and  made  various  attempts  to  escape, 
and  one  evening  he  succeeded.  Whether  the  brute 
had  discovered  the  drover's  intention,  and  supposed 
that  the  sheep  were  also  stolen,  it  is  difficult  to  say  • 
but  by  his  conduct  it  looked  so,  for  he  immediately 
went  to  the  field,  collected  the  sheep,  and  drove 
them  all  back  to  his  master. 


50 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


PECULIARITIES  OF   THE  REINDEER. 


THE    REINDEER. 

reindeer  is  the  color  of  the  stag,  and  is  not 
J_  much  larger.  The  horns  of  this  animal  are 
somewhat  higher  than  those  of  the  stag,  but  more 
crooked,  hairy,  and  not  so  well  furnished  with 
branches.  Of  the  milk  of  the  females  they  make 
good  butter  and  cheese.  These  animals,  indeed, 
constitute  the  greatest  and  almost  the  only  riches 
..t  the  Fin  Laplanders.  In  Finmark  there  are  vast 


OF      ANIMALS.  51 

numbers  of  them,  both  wild  and  tame,  and  many  a 
man  there  has  from  six  or  eight  hundred  to  a  thou- 
sand of  these  useful  creatures,  which  never  come 
under  cover.  They  follow  him  wherever  he  is 
pleased  to  ramble,  and  when  they  are  put  to  a 
sledge,  transport  his  goods  from  one  place  to  an- 
other. They  provide  for  themselves,  and  live 
chiefly  on  moss,  and  on  the  buds  of  leaves  and  trees.- 
They  support  themselves  on  very  little  nourish- 
ment, and  are  neat,  and  clean,  and  entertaining 
creatures.  It  is  remarkable  when  the  reindeer 
sheds  his  horns,  and  others  rise  in  their  stead  ;  they 
appear  at  first  covered  with  a  skin,  and  till  they  are 
of  a  finger's  length,  are  so  soft  that  they  may  be 
cut  with  a  knife  like  a  sausage,  and  are  delicate 
eating,  even  raw  •  therefore  the  huntsmen,  when 
far  out  in  the  country,  and  pinched  for  the  want  of 
food,  eat  them,  and  find  that  they  satisfy  both  their 
hunger  and  their  thirst.  When  the  horn  grows 
bigger,  there  breeds  within  the  skin  a  worm  which 
eats  away  the  root.  The  reindeer  has  over  his  eye- 
lids a  kind  of  skin,  through  which  he  peeps,  when 
otherwise,  in  the  hard  snows,  he  would  be  obliged 
to  shut  his  eyes  entirely — a  singular  instance  of  the 
benevolence  of  the  great  Creator  in  providing  for 
the  wants  of  each  creature  according  to  its  destined 
manner  of  living. 


OF     ANIMALS. 


THE  COACH  DOG. 


THIS  dog  is  a  native  of  Dalmatia,  a  mountainous 
district   of  European  Turkey.     He  has  been 
domesticated  in  Italy  for  upwards  of  two  centuries, 
and  is  now  often  to  be  met  with  both  in  Europe 
and  this  country. 

The  Dalmatian  is  often  used  as  a  pointer,  to 
which  his  natural  propensity  more  inclines  him. 
He  is  handsome  in  shape  ;  his  general  color  is  white, 
and  his  whole  body  and  legs  are  covered  with  small 
irregular-sized  black  or  reddish-brown  spots.  A 
singular  opinion  prevailed  at  one  time  in  England, 
that  this  beautiful  dog  was  rendered  more  hand- 


MERRY'SBOOK  53 

some  by  having  his  ears  cropped  :  this  custom  has 
now  gone  out  of  use. 

The  chief  use  of  this  dog  seems  to  be  as  an  at- 
tendant upon  a  carriage,  for  which  the  symmetry 
of  his  form  and  beauty  of  his  skin  peculiarly  fit 
him. 

My  young  readers  may  have  before  met  with  the 
following  remarkable  instance  of  sagacity  in  a  dog  : 
"  A  surgeon,  of  Leeds,  in  England,  walking  in  the 
suburbs  of  that  town,  found  a  little  spaniel,  who 
had  been  lamed.  This  dog,  which  probably  had 
its  name  from  Spain,  belongs  to  a  differing  species 
from  the  coach-dog.  Well,  the  surgeon  carried  the 
poor  little  lame  animal  home,  bandaged  up  his  leg, 
and,  after  two  or  three  days,  turned  him  out.  The 
dog  returned  to  the  surgeon's  house  every  morn- 
ing, till  his  leg  was  perfectly  well. 

At  the  end  of  several  months,  the  spaniel  again 
presented  himself,  in  company  with  another  dog, 
who  had  been  lamed  ;  and  he  intimated,  as  well  as 
piteous  and  intelligent  looks  could  intimate,  that 
he  desired  the  same  kind  assistance  to  be  rendered 
to  his  friend,  as  had  been  bestowed  upon  himself." 

The  famo  of  an  English  dog  has  been  deservedly 
transmitted  to  posterity  by  a  monument  in  basso 
relievo,  which  still  remains  on  the  chimney-piece 
of  the  grand  hall,  at  the  Castle  of  Montargis,  in 
France.  The  sculpture,  which  represents  a  dog 
fighting  with  a  champion,  is  explained  by  the  fol- 
lowing : 


54  OF    ANIMALS. 

Aubri  de  Mondidier,  a  gentleman  of  family  and 
fortune,  traveling  alone  through  the  Forest  of 
Bondi,  was  murdered  and  buried  under  a  tree. 
His  dog,  an  English  bloodhound,  would  not  quit  his 
master's  grave  for  several  days  ;  till  at  length,  com- 
pelled by  hunger,  he  proceeded  to  the  house  of  an 
intimate  friend  of  the  unfortunate  Aubri's  at  Paris, 
and  by  his  melancholy  howling  seemed  desirous  of 
expressing  the  loss  they  had  both  sustained.  He 
repeated  his  cries,  ran  to  the  door,  looked  back  to 
see  if  any  one  followed  him,  returned  to  his  master's 
friend,  pulled  him  by  the  sleeve,  and  with  dumb 
eloquence  entreated  him  to  go  with  him. 

The  singularity  of  all  these  actions  of  the  dog, 
added  to  the  circumstance  of  his  coming  there  with- 
out his  master,  prompted  the  company  to  follow  the 
animal,  who  conducted  them  to  a  tree,  where  he 
renewed  his  howl,  scratching  the  earth  with  his 
feet,  and  significantly  entreating  them  to  search 
that  particular  spot.  On  digging,  the  body  of  the 
unhappy  Aubri  was  found. 

Some  time  after,  the  dog  accidently  met  the  as- 
sassin, who  is  styled,  by  all  the  historians  that  re- 
late this  fact,  the  Chevalier  Macaire  ;  when  instant- 
ly seizing  him  by  the  throat,  he  was  with  great 
difficulty  compelled  to  quit  his  prey.  In  short, 
whenever  the  dog  saw  the  chevalier,  he  continued 
to  pursue  and  attack  him  with  equal  fury.  Such 
obstinate  virulence  in  the  animal,  confined  only  to 


OF      ANIMALS.  55 

Macaire,  appeared  very  extraordinary  ;  especialty 
to  those  who  at  once  recollected  the  dog's  remark- 
able attachment  to  his  master,  and  several  instances 
in  which  Macaire's  envy  and  hatred  to  Aubri  had 
been  conspicuous. 

Additional  circumstances  created  suspicion  ;  and 
at  length  the  affair  reached  the  royal  ear.  The 
king  (Louis  VIII)  accordingly  sent  for  the  dog,  who 
appeared  extremely  gentle  till  he  perceived  Ma- 
caire in  the  midst  of  several  noblemen,  when  he 
ran  fiercely  toward  him,  growling  at  and  attacking 
him  as  usual. 

The  king,  struck  with  such  a  collection  of  cir- 
cumstantial evidence  against  Macaire,  determined 
to  refer  the  decision  to  the  chance  of  battle  ;  in 
other  words,  he  gave  orders  for  a  combat  between 
the  chevalier  and  the  dog.  The  lists  were  appoint- 
ed in  the  Isle  of  Notre  Dame,  then  an  uninclosed, 
uninhabited  place,  and  Macaire  was  allowed  for  his 
weapon  a  great  cudgel. 

An  empty  cask  was  given  to  the  dog  as  a  place 
of  retreat,  to  enable  him  to  recover  breath.  Every 
thing  being  prepared,  the  dog  no  sooner  found 
himself  at  liberty,  than  he  ran  round  his  adversary, 
avoiding  his  blows,  and  menacing  him  on  every 
bide,  till  his  strength  was  exhausted  ;  then,  spring- 
ing forward,  he  griped  him  by  the  throat,  threw 
him  on  the  ground,  and  obliged  him  to  confess  his 
guilt,  in  the  presence  of  the  king  and  his  whole 


56 

court.  In  consequence  of  this,  the  chevalier,  after 
a  few  days,  was  convicted  upon  his  own  acknow- 
ledgment, and  beheaded  on  a  scaffold  in  the  Isle  of 
Notre  Dame. 

The  Newfoundland  dog,  in  a  state  of  purity,  and 
uncontaminated  by  a  mixture  of  an  inferior  race,  is 
certainly  the  noblest  of  the  canine  tribe.  His  great 
size  and  strength,  and  majestic  look,  convey  to  the 
rnind  a  sort  of  awe,  if  not  fear,  but  which  is  quickly 
dispelled  when  we  examine  the  placid  serenity  and 
the  mild  expressive  intelligence  of  his  countenance, 
showing  at  once  that  ferocity  is  no  part  of  his  dis- 
position. 

The  full-sized  Newfoundland  dog,  from  the  nose 
to  the  end  of  the  tail,  measures  about  six  feet  and 
a  half,  the  length  of  the  tail  being  two  feet.  This 
dog  was  but  recently  introduced  into  Europe  from 
the  island  whose  name  he  bears,  and  may  be  con- 
sidered as  a  distinct  race. 

The  Newfoundland  dog  is  docile  to  a  very  great 
degree,  and  nothing  can  exceed  his  affection.  Na- 
turally athletic  and  active,  he  is  ever  eager  to  be 
employed,  and  seems  delighted  to  perform  any 
little  office  required  of  him.  Nature  has  given  him 
a  great  share  of  emulation,  and  hence  to  be  sur- 
passed or  overcome  is  to  him  the  occasion  of  great 
pain.  Active  on  every  emergency,  he  is  the  friend 
of  all,  and  is  naturally  without  the  least  disposition 
to  quarrel  with  other  animals.  He  .seldom  or  never 


OPANIMALS.  57 

offers  offence,  but  will  not  receive  an  insult  or  in- 
jury with  impunity.  Such  is  the  capacity  of  his 
understanding,  that  he  can  be  taught  almost  every 
thing  which  man  can  inculcate,  and  of  which  his 
own  strength  and  frame  are  capable.  His  sagacity 
can  only  be  exceeded  by  his  energies,  and  he  per- 
severes with  unabated  ardor  in  whatever  shape  he 
is  employed,  and  while  he  has  a  hope  of  success  he 
will  never  slacken  in  his  efforts  to  attain  it.  The 
amazing  pliability  of  his  temper  peculiarly  fits  him 
for  the  use  of  man,  and  he  never  shrinks  from  any 
service  which  may  be  required  of  him,  but  under- 
takes it  with  an  ardor  proportionate  to  the  difficulty 
of  its  execution.  Taking  a  singular  pride  in  being 
employed,  he  will  carry  a  stick,  a  basket,  or  a  bun- 
dle, for  miles,  in  his  mouth,  and  to  deprive  him  of 
any  of  these  is  more  than  a  stranger  could  accom- 
plish with  safety. 

Sagacity  and  a  peculiar  faithful  attachment  to 
the  human  species  are  characteristics  inseparable 
from  this  dog,  and  hence  he  is  ever  on  the  alert  to 
ward  off  from  his  master  every  impending  danger, 
and  to  free  him  from  every  peril  to  which  he  may 
be  exposed.  He  is  endowed  with  an  astonishing 
degree  of  courage,  whether  to  resent  an  insult  or 
to  defend  his  friends,  even  at  the  risk  of  his  own 
life. 

The  qualifications  of  this  dog  are  extensive  in- 
deed ;  as  a  keeper  or  defender  of  the  house,  he  is 


58 

far  more  intelligent,  more  powerful,  and  more  to  be 
depended  upon  than  the  mastiff.  As  a  watch  dog, 
and  for  his  services  upon  navigable  rivers,  none  can 
compete  with  him  ;  and  various  sportsmen  have 
introduced  him  into  the  field  as  a  pointer  with  great 
success,  his  kind  disposition  and  sagacity  rendering 
his  training  an  easy  task. 

.  The  usual  fate  of  other  fine  dogs  attends  this 
generous  race  among  us  ;  they  are  too  often  de- 
graded and  degenerated  by  inferior  crosses,  which 
with  so  noble  an  animal  should  be  avoided  by  every 
possible  means. 

At  the  commencement  of  an  action  which  took 
place  between  the  Nymph  and  Cleopatra,  during 
the  late  war,  there  was  a  large  Newfoundland  dog 
on  board  the  former  vessel,  which  the  moment  the 
firing  began  ran  from  below  deck,  in  spite  of  the 
endeavors  of  the  men  to  keep  him  down,  and  climb- 
ing up  into  the  main-chains  he  there  kept  up  a 
continual  barking,  and  exhibited  the  most  -violent 
rage  during  the  whole  of  the  engagement. 

When  the  Cleopatra  struck,  he  was  among  the 
foremost  to  board  her,  and  there  walked  up  and 
down  the  decks,  seemingly  conscious  of  the  victory 
he  had  gained. 


OF       ANIMALS. 


59 


THE  RHINOCEROS. 


OF  all  South  African  animals,  not  the  least  cu- 
rious, perhaps,  is  the  rhinosceros.  He  is,  more- 
over, an  inhabitant  of  Bengal,  Siam,  China,  Java 
and  Ceylon  ;  but  these  are  a  different  species  from 
those  found  in  Africa.  Thus,  there  are  the  black 
and  the  white,  and  both  species  are  extremely 
fierce,  and  excepting  the  buffalo,  are  the  most  dan- 
gerous of  all  animals  in  Southern  Africa.  His  ap- 
pearance is  not  unlike  an  immense  hog  shorn  of  his 
bristles,  except  a  tuft  at  the  ears  and  tail.  As  if  in 
mockery  of  its  great  size,  its  eyes  are  ludicrously 
small,  so  as  to  be  almost  imperceptible. 

"  Two  officers  belonging  to  the  troops  stationed 
at  Dunap'ore,  went  down  to  the  river  to  shoot  and 
hunt,  and  they  had  heard  at  Derrzapore  of  a  rhino- 


60  MERRY'S  BOOK 

ceros  having  attacked  and  murdered  travelers  in 
this  region.  One  day,  before  sunrise,  as  they  were 
about  starting  out  to  hunt,  they  heard  a  violent  up- 
roar, and  on  looking  out,  found  that  a  rhinoceros 
was  goring  their  horses,  both  of  which,  being  fas- 
tened by  head  and  heel,  were  unable  to  resist  or 
escape.  Their  servants  took  to  their  heels,  and 
concealed  themselves  in  a  neighboring  jungle.  The 
gentlemen  had  just  time  to  climb  up  into  a  small 
tree  close  by,  before  the  furious  beast,  having  de- 
voured the  horses,  turned  his  attention  to  the  mas- 
ters. They  were  barely  out  of  his  reach  ;  so  after 
keeping  them  for  some  time  in  terrible  suspense, 
vainly  endeavoring  to  dislodge  them,  seeing  the 
sun  rise,  he  retreated,  not,  however,  without  glanc- 
ing back  occasionally,  as  if  regretting  the  loss  of  so 
fine  a  feast." 

"  Once,"  says  Mr.  Oswell,  "  as  I  was  returning 
from  an  elephant  chase,  I  observed  a  huge  rhinoce- 
ros a  short  distance  ahead.  I  was  riding  a  most 
excellent  hunter,  the  best  and  fleetest  steed  I  pos- 
sessed during  my  shooting  excursions  in  Africa  ; 
but  it  was  a  rule  with  me  never  to  pursue  a  rhino- 
ceros on  horseback,  for  this  reason,  that  they  were 
more  easily  surprised  and  killed  on  foot.  On  this 
occasion  it  seemed  as  if  fate  had  interfered.  Turn- 
ing to  my  servant,  I  called  out,  '  That  fellow  has  a 
magnificent  horn  ;  I  must  have  a  shot  at  him  !' 
*  "  Saying  this,  I  clapped  spurs  to  my  horse,  who 


OF     ANIMALS.  61 

soon  brought  me  alongside  the  huge  beast,  and  the 
next  instant  I  had  lodged  a  ball  in  his  body — but  as 
it  turned  out,  without  effect.  On  receiving  my 
shot,  the  rhinoceros,  to  my  surprise,  instead  of  re- 
treating, stopped  short,  turned  round,  and  having 
eyed  me  for  some  seconds,  walked  toward  me.  I 
never  dreamed  of  danger,  but  instinctively  turned 
my  horse's  head.  It  was  too  late,  for  although  the 
rhinoceros  had  been  only  walking,  the  distance  was 
so  inconsiderable  that  contact  was  unavoidable.  In 
a  moment  I  saw  his  head  bend  low  ;  with  a  thrust 
upward  he  struck  his  horn  into  the  ribs  of  the  horse 
with  such  force  as  to  penetrate  to  the  saddle  on  the 
opposite  side,  where  its  sharp  point  pierced  my  leg. 
The  violence  of  the  blow  was  so  tremendous  as  to 
cause  the  horse  to*  perform  a  complete  somerset  in 
the  air,  coming  down  heavily  on  his  back.  As  for 
myself,  I  was  violently  precipitated  to  the  ground. 
"The  rhinoceros  seemed  satisfied  with  his  re- 
.venge,  and  started  off  on  a  canter.  My  servant 
having  now  come  up,  I  rushed  up  to  him,  almost 
pulled  him  from  his  horse,  leapt  into  the  saddle  and 
without  a  hat,  my  face  streaming  with  blood,  pur- 
sued the  retreating  animal,  and  had  soon  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  him  fall  lifeless  at  my  feet.  My 
friend,  by  whom  I  was  accompanied  on  this  journey, 
soon  after  joined  me,  and  seeing  my  head  and  face 
covered  with  blood,  supposed  me  to  be  mortally 
wounded  ;  but,  with  the  exception  of  a  severe  blow 


62 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


on  the  head,  caused  by  the  iron  stirrups,  I  received 
no  injury,  although  my  much  prized  horse  was 
killed  on  the  spot. 

"  On  another  occasion,  while  wending  my  steps 
toward  my  camp  on  foot,  I  espied  at  no  great  dis- 
tance two  rhinoceroses — called  keitloa.  They  were 
feeding,  and  slowly  approaching  me.  I  immediate- 
ly crouched,  arid  quietly  awaited  their  arrival  ;  but 


THE  TWO  HORNED  RHINOCEROS. 

though  they  soon  came  within  range,  I  was  unable 
to  fire,  as  they  were  facing  me,  and  a  shot  in  the 
head  is  useless.  In  a  short  time  they  had  approach- 
ed so  close  that  owing  to  the  level  open  nature  of 
the  ground,  I  could  neither  retreat  nor  advance, 


OF     ANIMALS.  63 

and  my  situation  was  most  critical.  I  was  afraid 
to  fire,  for  even  had  I  succeeded  in  killing  one,  the 
other  would  in  all  likelihood  have  run  over  and 
trampled  me  to  death.  In  this  dilemma,  the  thought 
struck  me  that  on  account  of  their  bad  sight  I  might 
possibly  save  myself  by  running  past  them.  No 
time  was  to  be  lost,  and  as  the  foremost  animal  al- 
most touched  me,  I  stood  up  and  dashed  past  it. 
The  brute,  however,  was  too  quick  for  me,  and  be- 
fore I  had  gone  many  steps,  I  heard  a  violent  snort- 
ing at  my  heels.  I  had  only  time  to  fire  my  gun 
at  random  toward  him,  when  I  felt  myself  impaled 
on  his  horn.  The  shock  completely  stunned  me. 
The  first  return  to  consciousness  was,  I  recollect, 
finding  myself  seated  on  one  of  my  ponies,  and  a 
Cyffre  leading  it.  I  had  an  indistinct  idea  of  hav- 
ing been  hunting,  and  on  seeing  the  man,  asked 
why  he  did  not  follow  the  animal.  By  accident  I 
touched  my  right  hip,  and  on  looking  at  my  hand, 
found  it  clotted  with  blood.  While  in  my  confused 
state,  trying  to  understand  what  it  meant,  I  saw  my 
men  coming  toward  me,  who  told  me  they  were 
coming  to  fetch  my  body,  as  they  had  been  told  I 
was  killed.  The  wound  I  received  was  dangerous, 
and  though  after  a  long  time  it  healed,  still  the 
scars  will  remain  as  long  as  I  live." 


64 


0  P     ANIMALS  . 


OP     ANIMALS. 


65 


ANECDOTES  OP  THE  CROCODILE  FAMILY. 


HE  crocodiles  of  the  eastern  conti- 
nent and  the  alligators  of  our  own  are 
all  of  one  family,  but  there  appears  to 
be  some  difference  in  their  dispositions.     Dar- 
win describes  one  of  them  as  follows  : — 

"  Erewhile  emerging  from  the  brooding  sand, 
With  tiger  paw  he  prints  the  brineless  strand  ; 
High  on  the  flood  with  speckled  bosom  swims, 
Helmed  with  broad  tail,  and  oared  with  giant  limbs ; 
Rolls  his  fierce  eyeballs,  clasps  his  iron  claws, 
And  champs  with  knashing  teeth  his  massy  jaws  : 
Old  Nilus  sighs  through  all  his  cane-crowned  shores, 
And  swarthy  Memphis  trembles  and  adores." 

This  may  stand  as  a  good  and  fair  likeness  of  the 
whole — a  sort  of  family  portrait  of  the  grandpapa 
of  crocodiles  and  alligators.  Thus  the  governor  of 
Angostura  informed  Mr.  Waterton,  that  while  he 
was  one  fine  evening  walking  by  the  banks  of  the 
Oronoco,  he  saw  a  large  cayman  rush  out  of  the 
river,  seize  upon  a  man,  and  carry  him  away  in  his 
horrid  jaws.  "  The  screams  of  the  poor  fellow  were 
terrible,  as  the  cayman  was  running  off  with  him, 


66  MERRY'S    BOOK 

He  plunged  into  the  river  with  his  prey  ;  we  in- 
stantly lost  sight  of  him,  and  never  saw  or  heard 
him  more." 

So  also  in  regard  to  the  African  species,  we  m&y, 
among  many  other  recorded  examples  of  their  fierce- 
ness, recall  to  mind  the  circumstance  of  Mungo 
Park's  negro  guide  Isaaco  being  twice  seized  by  a 
crocodile  while  crossing  the  Ba  Woolima  with  his 
asses,  and  escaping  immediate  death  only  by  his 
presence  of  mind  enabling  him  to  gouge  the  eyes 
of  the  insatiate  monster  with  his  thumbs.  He 
gained  the  shore  bleeding  profusely  with  a  deep 
wound  in  each  thigh,  and  the  marks  of  several 
teeth  upon  his  back.  He  wTas  unable  to  renew  the 
journey  for  six  days. 

These,  and  many  other  anecdotes  of  the  same 
kind,  justify  the  general  bad  character  given  to 
these  creatures.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  appears 
that  some  of  them  are  of  a  more  gentle  nature.  It 
is  perfectly  well  known  that  the  ancient  Egyptians 
worshiped  crocodiles,  and  it  appears  that  the  priests 
kept  many  of  them,  which  seem  to  have  been  quite 
tame  and  friendly.  So  Mr.  Audubon  informs  us, 
that  in  North  America  the  alligators,  in  some  parts, 
are  so  disinclined  to  annoy  the  human  race,  that  he 
and  his  companions  have  often  waded  up  to  the 
waist  among  hundreds  of  them,  while  the  cattle- 
drivers  may  be  seen  beating  them  away  with  staves, 
before  they  cross  the  rivers  with  their  live  stock  ; 


OF     ANIMALS.  67 

for  it  is  admitted  that  they  readily  attack  cattle, 
and  will  seize  upon  such  animals  as  dogs  and  deer, 
or  even  horses. 

Although  a  full  grown,  case-hardened  crocodile, 
with  its  armature  of  "  scaly  rind,"  and  formidable 
jaws  beset  with  bristling  teeth,  need  fear  nothing 
short  of  a  rifle-bullet  through  the  eye,  or  a  volley 
of  slugs  in  the  softer  part  of  the  abdomen,  yet  the 
eggs  and  young  fall  a  frequent  prey  to  many  natu- 
ral enemies.  The  ichneumons  of  Egypt,  the  otters 
and  even  ibises  of  the  new  world,  and  the  great 
tortoises  belonging  to  the  genus  Trionyx,  attack 
them  generally  in  one  or  other  of  these  defenceless 
states  ;  while,  at  least  so  far  as  concerns  the  North 
American  species,  the  male  parent,  repudiating  all 
the  claims  of  filial  affection,  throws,  not  his  arms, 
but  jaws  around  his  unprotected  young,  and  gulps 
them  down  in  dozens.  However,  the  negroes  will 
attack  even  the  adult  animals,  and  kill  them  by 
separating  the  tail  from  the  body  by  blows  of  their 
hatchets.  The  oil  (obtained  by  boiling)  is  used 
for  machinery  ;  and  a  practice  prevailed,  at  one 
time,  of  making  boots  and  shoes  of  alligator  leather. 
The  South  American  Indians  eat  the  tail  of  these 
creatures,  and  they  catch  the  owner  of  the  tail  by 
means  of  a  small  hook  baited  with  a  bird,  or  any 
small  quadruped,  and  fastened  to  a  tree  by  an  iron 
chain.  "  The  flesh/''  according  to  Catesby,  "  is 
delicately  white,  but  hath  so  perfumed  a  taste  and 


68  MERRY'S    BOOK 

smell  that  I  never  could  relish  it  with  pleasure." 
The  eggs  of  the  crocodile  are  regarded  as  a  luxury 
by  som'e  of  the  African  tribes. 

In  regard  to  the  geographical  distribution  of 
these  great  reptiles,  we  need  scarcely  inform  our 
readers  that  no  species  occurs  in  Europe.  Neither 
has  any  been  found  in  New  Holland.  The  caymans 
or  alligators  are  peculiar  to  America ;  the  croco- 
diles, properly  so  called,  are  natives  of  both  the 
old  and  new  world  ;  the  gavials  are  confined  to 
Asia,  to  the  verdent  banks. 


OF      ANIMALS. 


69 


GRATIAS  THE  CATERPILLAR. 
r\  RATIAS  had  »several  queer  adventures.-  Once 
VJT  a  large  green  frog,  with  a  cold  nose  and  gog- 
gle eyes,  snapped  at  him  as  he  was  looking  over 
the  edge  of  the  fish-pond  ;  but  there  was  some  slimy 
mos3  on  the  stone  where  Freckle  stood  ;  and  just 
as  his  mouth  was  about  to  close  on  Gratias,  his  long 
hind  legs  slipped  and  sprawled  ;  he  went  back  into 


/  70  MERRY'S  BOOK 

the  water  with  a  splash,  and  our  brown  friend 
traveled  off  so  fast,  he  never  saw  the  garden  wall 
before  him  till  he  bumped  his  head  against  it. 
Then,  once,  he  had  gone  to  sleep  in  the  very  mid- 
dle of  a  red  rose — the  last  one  on  the  bush,  for  it 
was  now  autumn — and  the  rose  being  picked  by  a 
very  little  white  hand,  that  belonged  to  Miss  Sac- 
charissa,  Gratias  began  ta  quirl  for  joy  ;  he  thought 
she  would  be  good  to  him  if  he  was  not  pretty,  for 
her  blue  eyes  were  so  very  soft  and  shallow,  just 
like  the  pond  on  a  summer  day  ;  but  when  Saccha- 
rissa  saw  the  innocent  worm,  she  gave  a  loud  shriek 
and  threw  rose  and  all  on  to  the  gravel  path  so  hard, 
that  Gratias  had  scarcely  time  to  make  a  ball  of 
himself  and  roll  away,  to  hide  his  bruised  head  and 
his  hurt  feelings  behind  the  garden  roller  for  two 
days.  But  a  diet  of  chickweed  and  rain  water 
cured  both  those  ailments,  and  soon  he  crept  out 
again  over  the  big  roller,  which  just  at  that  hour 
the  gardener  was  accustomed  to  use,  and  poor 
Gratias  began  to  feel  it  move  under  him  before  he 
was  half  way  across  it,  and  expected  nothing  less 
than  to  be  directly  crushed  to  a  jelly  ;  but  the 
gardener  found  his  roller  was  out  of  order,  a  loose 
screw  threatened  to  let  the  handle  go  every  mo- 
ment ;  and  while  he  replaced  that,  Gratias  had 
time  to  save  himself,  and  dropping  to  the  ground, 
toddled  awa}T,  half  a  mind  to  be  discouraged  and 
say  he  would  not  try  to  live  any  more,  he  was  so 


OP     ANIMALS.  71 

lonely  and  so  ugly,  and  so  full  of  fear  ;  however,  a 
little  honey-bee  just  then  began  to  sing  on  a  late 
bean-flower,  and  her  song  was  so  gay  and  so  good, 
that  the  worm  found  himself  trying  to  sing  too. 


"  Buzz,  buzz,  buzz 

Making  honey 

When  it's  sunny, 
Sleeping  all  the  rainy  day. 
"  Buzz,  buzz,  busy  bee, 

All  the  posies 

Are  not  roses, 

But  they  all  are  sweet  to  me. 
Buzz,  buzz  away!" 

"  Whew  I"  said  Mr.  Powsy,  who  turned  the  ear- 
ner just  then  ;  "  a  nice  little  song,  Mrs.  Sweeting  ! 
do  }Tou  think  winter  won't  come  ?" 

"I  shall  go  to  sleep  then,  sir,  and  there's  honey 
in  the  hive,"  answered  the  little  woman. 

But  Gratias  shivered.  "  Is  it  almost  winter,  Mr. 
Powsy  ?" 

"  Yes,  creeper  crawler  j  almost  time  for  the  white 
frosts.  I've  been  hard  at  work,  to-day,  picking  out 
a  place  for  my  hole  ;  soon  I  shall  have  to  dig  it," 

"  And  where  are  all  the  creatures  I  know  going 
this  year  ?"  said  Gratias,  in  a  dismal  tone. 

"  Oh  !  I  go  to  sleep.  Buzz  and  Mrs.  Sweetser 
stay  and  nod  in  their  combs,  Mrs.  Pelopidan  went 
South  yesterday,  and  Mrs.  Roberts  has  taken  a 
house  for  the  winter  in  the  great  barn  ;  when  it  is 


72  MERRY'S   BOOK 

very  cold  she  may  go  to  Maryland,  I  can't  say.  As 
for  Whiz,  Fiz's  brother,  nobody  seems  to  know  ex- 
actly what  he  will  do.  I  think  he  wjll^die  off. 
Freckle,  the  frog,  is  a  low  creature  ;  he  lives  in  the 
mud,  and  comes  out  in  the  spring  with  such  a  host 
of  little  polliwogs  !  It  is  so  absurd  to  have  children 
with  tails,  and  no  legs  !  I  don't  see  how  he  can  be 
so  proud  of  the  little  wretches  !" 

"  I  wonder  what  I  shall  do  ?"  said  Gratias  ;  but 
Mr.  Powsy  had  hopped  off  after  a  blue-bottle  fly,  so 
he  got  no  answer.  Then  he  went  up  the  nearest 
tree  and  lay  in  the  sunshine,  till  he  felt  so  lazy  and 
dreamy  that  he  thought  he  would  spin  a  little  ;  and 
he  drew  out  a  nice  fine  thread,  longer  than  ever  he 
could  before,  till  he  thought  how  nice  it  would  be 
to  spin  himself  a  house  for  the  winter,  and  resolved 
to  begin  immediately  j  so  first  he  spun  a  stout  cord 
from  the  tree  bough,  and  then  a  filmy  veil  large 
enough  for  the  outside  of  his  house,  and  then  an- 
other and  another  layer,  till  he  had  but  just  room 
to  coil  himself  up  and  go  to  sleep,  rocked  by  the 
winds  that  began  to  blow  cold  and  loud  in  the  tree- 
tops.  But  as  he  was  getting  very  sleepy  indeed, 
he  happened  to  think  that  he  was  so  fast  shut  up 
in  his  house  that  he  could  not  possibly  get  any- 
thing to  eat  or  drink,  and  what  should  he  do  ?  For 
a  few  minutes  he  was  somewhat  troubled,  and 
would  have  liked  to  unspm  his  new  covering  ;  but 
then  he  remembered  that  he  had  all  his  life  been 


OP     ANIMALS 


73 


taken  care  of,  when  he  could  not  help  himself,  and 
he  would  not  be  afraid  now  ;  so  he  curled  down 
again,  safe  because  he  was  helpless,  and  went  sound 
asleep. 


THE   CHRYSALIS. 

Now  came  the  dim  shape  once  more  that  Mrs. 
Pelopidan  had  seen,  and  took  its  stand  by  the  grey 
house  of  the  sleeping  worm,  to  defend  it  from  harm 
till  spring  should  come.  Gentian,  the  blue  jay, 
that  lived  hard  by,  peered  curiously  at  the  swing- 
ing shell,  but  dared  not  touch  it,  for  he  saw  the 


74 

awful  shadow  that  stretched  upward  to  the  pure 
skies,  and  kept  guard  over  earth. 

Flisk,  the  squirrel,  chattered  at  a  yard's  distance, 
about  this  queer  nut  to  his  wife  Flisky,  but  came 
no  nearer  ;  and  even  the  snow  and  rain  beat  to  one 
side,  rather  than  freeze  or  wet  the  quiet  home  of 
the  hidden  caterpillar. 

At  last  spring  came  ;  the  grass  began  to  shoot  up 
in  the  level  meadows  ;  all  the  birds  came  back  with 
songs  of  pure  love  and  joy  ;  the  little  wood  flowers 
opened  their  soft  eyes,  and  kissed  the  south  wind 
back  again  till  it  was  as  sweet  as  their  own  hearts  ; 
the  tender  rain  wept  for  gladness,  till  all  the  buds 
on  the  dim  trees  opened  into  leaves  under  its  gen- 
tle caress  ;  and  far  and  wide  the  grey  woods  melt- 
ed into  pale  green  masses  ;  the  hill-sides  grew 
opal-colored  with  maple  blossoms  and  bursting 
buds  ;  the  orchards  blushed  like  rosy  clouds  on  the 
distant  mountain  slopes  ;  and  all  the  world  was  so 
happy,  that  a  little  stir  of  its  new  life  came  to  Gra- 
tias  where  he  slept,  and  the  dim  shape  vanished  in 
the  east.  Warmer  and  warmer  shone  the  sun  on 
the  grey  house,  and  the  worm  felt  its  glow  through 
every  little  bone  ;  he  stretched  himself  well,  and 
the  bands  that  seemed  to  hold  him  tightty,  parted 
gently  ;  he  saw  a  tiny  gleam  of  day  and  crept  to- 
wards it,  every  motion  growing  easier  and  making 
the  spot  of  light  wider,  till  at  length  he  stood  on 
the  outside  of  his  winter  dwelling  in  the  noon-day 


OP     ANIMALS.  75 

sun,  dazzled  and  happy,  but  feeling  as  if  he  could 
not  crawl. 

"  Whew  1"  said  a  well-known  voice,  and  looking 
down  he  saw  Mr.  Powsy  under  the  tree  ;  "  are  you 
paid  now  for  your  patience,  friend  ?  Do  you  like 
your  wings  as  well  as  Fiz  did  his  ?" 

"  "Wings  !  have  I  got  wings  ?"  said  Gratias. 

"  To  be  sure  you  have  ;  sail  across  the  pond  and 
see  yourself." 

He  spread  the  silken  sails  that  now  he  felt  on 
either  side  j  lifted  his  dainty  feet  from  the  bough, 
and  aided  by  a  little  puff  of  wind,  away  he  glided 
with  the  most  beautiful  motion  over  flower-beds 
and  paths  to  the  great  ponds,  and  poising  above 
the  blue  surface,  he  looked  down  and  saw  himself — 
his  ugly  body  was  gone  ;  his  wings  were  gold- 
colored,  all  spotted  with  black  and  blue  ;  his  breast, 
mixed  rings  of  black  and  gold  ;  his  eyes  as  bright 
as  dew,  and  two  slender,  graceful,  curling  horns  on 
either  side  of  his  head.  He  had  not  been  so  trust- 
ful and  patient  in  vain  ;  he  was  no  more  a  worm, 
but  a  gay  and  beautiful  butterfly,  and  he  soared 
back  to  Mr.  Powsy,  almost  too  happy  to  fly  straight. 

"  Ho  !  ho  !"  said  the  toad.  "  Now  you're  fine 
and  must  eat  honey  ;  I  can't  eat  you  now,  if  I  want- 
ed to.  You  must  have  a  new  name,  friend  ;  Gra- 
tias did  very  well  for  the  worm,  but  the  butterfly 
shall  be  called  Gloria  !" 

And  that  was  his  name 


76  MERRY'S   BO  OK 

THEDA'S  PUSSY. 

f 


Is  this  you,  my  pussy  ? 

Why,  just  now  I  saw 
Your  back  rounded  upward, 

And  nails  on  each  claw. 

You  were  spitting  so  fiercely, 

Because  little  Trip 
Would,  in  your  nice  breakfast, 

His  saucy  mouth  dip. 

'Twas  an  ungallant  action 

In  the  dog,  I  own  ; 
But  your  cat  indignation 

Was  too  roughly  shown. 

It  is  very  low  manners, 
To  bluster  and  scratch  ; 

And  it's  worse,  because  useless — 
For  Trip  you're  no  match. 


OF     ANIMALS. 

This  is  far  more  becoming — 

The  soft  velvet  paw, 
Which  o'er  dieek  and  o'er  eyelid 

I  now  love  to  draw. 

Run,  and  set  your  ball  rolling ; 

The  ball  you  may  strike — 
Whiz  it  off  to  the  corner, 

As  hard  as  you  like. 


77 


LEARNING    TO   ROLL   SALL. 


Now  your  lovely,  my  pussy, 
And  mother  smiles  too ; 

Oh  !  we  both  think  so  pretty, 
The  spry  tricks  you  do 


78 


M  ERRY'fr  B  OOK 


OP     ANIMALS.  79 


ELEPHANTS,  HOW  TAKEN  AND  MANAGED. 

A  RRIAN,  a  Greek  writer  of  the  second  century, 
jLJL  thus  describes  the  ancient  mode  of  catching 
elephants  : — A  large  circular  ditch  is  first  made,  in- 
closing space  sufficient  for  the  encampment  of  an 
army.  The  earth  thus  removed  is  heaped  up  on 
each  margin  of  the  ditch,  and  serves  as  a  wall.  In 
these  walls  there  is  one  opening  toward  the  south, 
with  a  bridge  across  the  ditch,  covered  with  earth 
and  grass.  In  the  outer  wall  are  several  excava- 
tions, near  the  bridge,  in  which  the  hunters  secrete 
themselves,  and  watch,  through  loop-holes,  the 
movements  of  the  elephants.  Several  tame  female 
elephants  are  placed  in  the  inclosure,  to  attract  the 
wild  ones  from  without.  When  a  sufficient  number 
have  entered  the  trap,  the  hunters  issue  from  their 
hiding  places,  and  take  up  the  bridge.  After  a 
day  or  two,  when  the  captives  are  somewhat  weak- 
ened by  want  of  food  and  water,  they  muster  a 
large  company  of  men  with  tame  elephants,  replace 
the  bridge,  and  send  the  tame  elephants  into  the 
inclosure.  A  battle  ensues,  which  naturally  termi- 
nates in  favor  of  the  tame  animals,  their  opponents 
being  quite  exhausted  by  what  they  have  previous- 
ly suffered.  The  men  now  coming  up  tie  their  feet. 
After  this,  the  process  of  taming  and  training  them 
is  not  difficult. 


80  MERRY'S    BOOK 

It  is  remarkable,  that  in  every  mode  of  capturing 
the  wild  elephant,  man  avails  himself  of  the  docility 
of  those  he  has  already  subdued.  Birds  may  be 
taught  to  assist  in  insnaring  other  birds,  but  this  is 
simply  an  effect  of  habit  and  training.  The  ele- 
phant, on  the  contrary,  has  an  evident  desire  to 
join  its  master  in  subduing  its  own  race.  It  enters 
into  it  with  alacrity,  and  exercises  ingenuity, 
courage,  and  perseverance,  that  are  astonishing. 

It  is  often  noticed  that  large  male  elephants,  the 
very  ones  that  would  be  selected  from  a  flock  as 
most  desirable  for  use,  or  for  sale,  are  wandering 
away  by  themselves,  apart  from  the  herd.  These 
are  watched,  and  followed  cautiously  by  day  and 
night,  with  several  trained  females,  called  Koom- 
kies.  Approaching  gradually  nearer,  and  grazing 
with  apparent  indifference,  the  Koomkies  at  length 
press  round  their  victim,  and  begin  to  caress  him. 
If  he  is  in  good  humor,  and  submits  to  their  ca- 
resses, his  capture  is  certain.  The  hunters  cau- 
tiously creep  under  him,  and  while  he  is  dallying 
with  his  new-found  friend,  bind  his  forelegs  together 
with  a  strong  rope.  Some  of  the  more  wily  of  the 
Koomkies  will  not  only  protect  their  masters,  while 
doing  this,  but  actually  assist  in  fastening  the  cords. 
Sometimes  the  hind  legs  are  fastened  in  the  same 
manner  ;  when  the  hunters  retire  to  a  distance  to 
watch  the  motions  of  the  captive.  The  Koomkies, 
satisfied  that  he  is  secure,  now  leave  him.  He  at- 


OP     ANIMALS. 


81 


82  MERRY'S   BOOK 

tempts  to  follow,  but  is  unable.  He  now  becomes 
furious,  throwing  himself  down  and  tearing  the 
earth  with  his  tusks.  If  he  succeed  in  breaking 
the  cords,  and  escaping  to  the  forest,  the  trappers 
dare  not  pursue  him.  If  not,  he  is  soon  exhausted 
with  his  own  rage.  He  is  then  left  until  hunger 
makes  him  submissive,  when  under  the  escort  of 
his  treacherous  friends,  he  is  conducted  to  an  in- 
closure,  where  he  is  fed,  trained,  and  completely 
subdued. 

The  inclosure,  surrounded  by  a  ditch,  is  still  in 
use  in  India.  But  not  content  with  enticing  their 
victims  to  the  place,  they  gather  in  large  numbers, 
and  with  fire-arms,  and  all  kinds  of  noisy  instru- 
ments, drive  whole  herds  of  them  in,  the  way  be- 
ing first  strewed  with  the  fruits  they  most  like,  to 
tempt  them  onward.  From  this  inclosure  they 
never  come  out  till  they  are  perfectly  tamed.  Each 
elephant  has  his  own  malwut,  or  master,  and  will 
obey  no  other. 


OP     ANIMALS.  83 


THE  FOOLISH  MOUSE. 


ALWAYS  nibbling,  little  mouse, 
Fear  you  not  your  teeth  to  spoil, 
Gnawing  wood,  cake,  cheese,  and  nut-shells] 
Have  you  dentists  with  gold  foil  1 

Betsey  daily  tries  to  kill  you, 

Know  you  that,  you  silly  elf  1 
Sure  as  fate,  and  will  you — nill  you, 

Springing  trap  is  on  that  shelf. 

There  you  go,  pell-mell,  head  foremost, 
Anywhere  you'll  go  for  cheese — 

Snap  !  now  Betsey's  trap  has  got  you — 
That  must  be  "von  too  much"  squeeze. 


84 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


MEN  VS.  ANIMALS. 


•jr  HEN  Alexander  of  Macedon  was 
seeking  realms  to  conquer,  he 
met  with  a  people  who  lived  in 
a  remote  and  obscure  corner,  who  had 
never  heard  of  war  or  conquerors,  and 
who  enjoyed  their  humble  cottages  in 
profound  peace.  They  met  the  Macedonian  king, 
and  conducted  him  to  the  dwelling  of  their  ruler, 
who  received  him  hospitably,  and  set  before  him, 
as  a  feast,  dates,  figs,  and  other  fruits,  made  of  gold. 
"  What !  do  you  eat  gold  here  ?"  asked  Alexan- 
der. 

"  No  ;  but  we  imagined  thou  hadst  food  enough 
to  eat  in  thine  own  country,  and  that  it  was  a  de- 
sire of  gold  that  led  thee  forth  from  it.  Why, 
therefore,  hast  thou  come  to  us  from  so  far  a  coun- 
try ?" 

"  It  was  not  for  your  gold  I  came,"  replied  Alex- 
ander ;  "  but  I  desired  to  learn  your  customs." 

"  Even  so  ;  then  abide  among  us  as  long  as  thou 
wilt." 


OF     ANIMALS.  85 

While  the  ruler  and  the  Grecian  were  conver- 
sing, two  men  of  the  tribe  came  in,  to  appeal  to  the 
ruler's  judgment.  The  complainant  spoke  : 

"  I  bought  a  piece  of  ground  from  this  man,  and 
when  I  was  digging  it  found  a  treasure.  The  trea- 
sure is  not  mine,  for  I  purchased  only  the  ground. 
I  never  included  in  the  purchase  any  hidden  trea- 
sure, but  this  man  who  sold  me  the  land  refuses  to 
receive  the  treasure  from  me." 

The  defendant  now  replied  : 

"  I  am  as  conscientious  as  my  neighbor.  I  sold 
him  the  ground,  and  everything  that  might  be  in 
it ;  therefore,  the  treasure  is  justly  his,  and  I  can- 
not take  it." 

"  The  ruler  took  time  to  understand  the  case 
clearly,  and  then  asked  one  of  the  parties  : 

"  Hast  thou  a  son  ?" 

".I  have." 

He  inquired  of  the  other  : 

"  Hast  thou  a  daughter  ?" 

"  Yea." 

"  So,  then,  the  son  shall  marry  the  daughter,  and 
the  young  couple  shall  have  the  treasure  as  a  wed- 
ding portion. 

Alexander  betrayed  some  emotion. 

"  Is  not  my  judgment  just  ?"  inquired  the  ruler. 

';  Perfectly  just,"  returned  Alexander,  "  but  it 
surprises  me." 


86  MERRY'S    BOOK 

"  How,  then,  would  the  case  have  been  decided 
in  thy  country'?" 

.  "  To  own  the  truth,"  said  Alexander,  "  both  the 
men  would  have  been  taken  in  custody,  and  the 
treasure  seized  for  the  king." 

"  For  the  king  !"  said  the  ruler,  full  of  astonish- 
ment ;  "  does  the  sun  shine  in  that  land  ?" 

"  Surely." 

"  Does  the  rain  fall  ?" 

"  Of  course." 

"  Wonderful !  but  are  there  gentle,  grazing  ani- 
mals there  ?" 

"  There  are,  and  of  many  kinds." 

"  Then,"  said  the  ruler,  "  it  is  for  the  sake  of 
those  innocent  animals  that  the  all-merciful  Crea- 
tor permits  the  sun  to  shine  and  the  rain  to  fall 
upon  your  land  ;  ye  deserve  it  not." 


tl  /~10ME,  sonny,  get  up,"  said  an  indulgent  fa- 
\J  ther  to  a  hopeful  son,  the  other  morning — 
"  Remember  that  the  early  bird  catches  the  first 
worm  1" 

"  What  do  I  care  for  the  worms  ?"  replied  the 
iiopeful,  "  mother  won't  let  me  go  a-fishing." 


OF  ANIMALS. 

MONKEY  LUCK. 


87 


CATS-PAW. 

SEE  the  saucy  rogue!  How  imprudently  he 
laughs  at  the  joke  he  is  perpetrating  on  the 
poor  helpless  cat.  The  nuts  are  in  the  fire,  all 
roasted,  and  ready  to  burn.  Jocko  wants  them, 
and  will  have  them,  but  don't  mean  to  burn  his  own 
delicate  fingers,  by  pulling  them  out.  So  he  pro- 
mises Miss  Puss  a  liberal  share  of  the  delicacies,  if 
she  only  lends  him  her  paw  to  take  them  out  of 
the  fire.  Puss  demurs,  and  screams  vociferously, 
but  all  to  no  purpose.  She  is  in  the  scrape,  having 
helped  him  to  steal  the  nuts,  and  now  she  must 
bear  the  penalty  of  being  in  bad  company.  Puss 
is  sadly  burned,  so  that  she  cannot  eat  a  morsel,  and 
Jocko  takes  the  entire  spoil  to  himself,  chuckling 
over  his  ready  wit  and  good  fortune.  Look  out 
sharp,  boys,  for  the  company  you  keep. 


88 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


THE  ROYAL  TIGER. 


THE   Royal  Tiger  is  a  native  of  India,  though 
sometimes  found  in  the  surrounding  countries. 
,*t  inhabits  the  low  lands  and  jungles  which  are 
covered  with  briers,  and  thick  shrubs,  so  compact 


OF     ANIMALS.  89 

as  to  be  almost  impassable  to  man.  Its  ferocious 
nature,  extraordinary  beauty,  and  great  power,  are 
its  prominent  characteristics,  and  give  it  a  promi- 
nence among  the  whole  animal  creation.  But 
though  strong  and  powerful  enough  to  defy  man  or 
beast,  yet  it  prefers  to  get  its  prey  by  a  stealthy 
attack,  rather  than  by  an  open  and  bold  assault. 

Those  who  visited  Batty 's  menagerie  in  Dublin, 
will  remember  that  he  had  two  lions  and  a  tiger 
tamed  together  in  the  same  cage,  and  whilst  exhib- 
iting at  Roscre,  a  few  days  ago,  the  keeper  of  these 
animals,  whilst  in  the  cage  with  them,  missed  his 
foot  and  fell  upon  the  tiger,  which  was  asleep  at  the 
time.  The  animal  became  enraged,  and  jumping 
up,  caught  the  unfortunte  man  by  the  thigh.  A 
thrill  of  horror  pervaded  the  hundreds  of  specta- 
tors  who  were  visiting  the  exhibition  at  the  time, 
and  the  man's  destruction  was  deemed  inevitable  ; 
when  to  the  inexpressible  joy,  as  well  as  amaze- 
ment of  all  present,  the  lion  seized  the  tiger  by  the 
neck,  and  caused  it  at  once  to  relinquish  its  hold, 
whilst  the  man  was  dragged  out  of  his  cage  bleed- 
ing in  a  dreadful  manner.  He  was  immediately 
placed  under  the  care  of  a  doctor,  and  after  a  long 
and  severe  illness  finally  recovered. 


90 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


A  VISIT  TO  A  MENAGERIE. 


AT  the  entrance  there  was  a  band  playing  to  at- 
tract attention,  and  a  crowd  of  boys  gathered 
round,  looking  at  the  stuffed  ostrich  at  the  window, 
and  at  the  privileged  persons  admitted  inside.  As 
soon  as  we  got  in,  there  was  the  strong  menagerie 
smell,  which  is  unavoidable,  however  clean  the  ani- 
mals are  kept.  On  one  side  of  the  room  was  a  row 
of  cages  ;  over  the  first  was  printed  "Royal  Tigers," 
and  royal  looking  animals  were  the  two  splendid 
beasts  inside.  They  lay  stretched  out  at  full  length, 
showing  to  advantage  their  beautifully  striped 
skins.  After  admiring  them  for  some  minutes,  we 
turned  to  the  next  cage,  the  African  lion's.  The 


OF     ANIMALS.  91 

king  of  beasts  was  walking  restlessly  up  and  down 
his  little  space,  so  different  from  the  vast  deserts 
he  had  been  accustomed  to  roam  in  his  native 
country.  He  was  about  the  size  of  the  tigers,  I 
thought,  but  shorter  and  thicker  built.  I  think 
even  if  one  had  not  heard  so  much  of  the  lion's  no- 
ble, king-like  appearance,  he  would  at  once  single 
him  out  as  the  most  noble  animal  of  all.  I  don't 
think  too  much  can  be  said  of  his  beauty.  His  face 
was  so  full  of  expression,  and  his  great  mane,  mixed 
with  black,  gave  him  a  most  majestic  appearance. 
A  Java  tiger  was  in  the  next  cage  ;  and  curled  up 
in  the  next,  lay  a  creature  looking  like  a  great  black 
cat,  but  two  or  three  times  as  large.  This  was  a 

black  leopard;  the  man 
poked  at  it  with  his  stick 
to  make  it  get  up,  but  it 
only  snarled,  showed  its 
teeth,  and  caught  at  the 
THE  LEOPARD.  stick.  The  man  said  it  was 

a  most  fierce  creature,  and  quite  as  dangerous  as 
the  larger  animals.  We  next  came  to  two  lionesses. 
Their  ladyships  lay  stretched  out,  one  at  each  end 
of  their  cage,  half  asleep.  Certainly  the  animals 
seemed  rather  lazy  here,  but  perhaps  they  had 
caught  the  city  custom  of  keeping  their  beds  late, 
and  hadn't  yet  aroused  themselves,  though  it  was 
after  ten.  They  differed  from  the  lion  in  being 
smaller,  lighter  built,  and  not  having  manes.  The 


92  MERRY'S    BOOK 

Brazil  tiger,  or  jaguar,  looked  more  like  a  leopard 
than  a  tiger,  but  is  larger  ;  he,  too,  was  lying  down. 

The  next  comer,  the 
hyasna,  couldn't  be  ac- 
cused of  laziness  ;  he  was 
walking  round  his  cage 
with  most  praiseworthy 
THE  HYAENA,  industry,  going  as  if  the 

fate  of  the- nation  or  his  dinner  depended  on  his 
getting  round  quick  enough.  As  he  comes  tramp- 
ing along,  not  heeding  where  he  goes,  he  kee*ps  run- 
ning his  nose  against  the  wall,  and  the  bars  of  the 
cage.  His  hide  is  a  dirty  yellow,  or  yellowish 
brown,  with  brown  spots  over  it.  He  was  certain- 
ly an  ugly  looking  creature,  and  he  didn't  look  the 
better  for  having  the  handsome  jaguar  on  one  side, 
and  a  lion  on  the  other.  I  have  always  thought 
the  hyaena  a  perfectly  un tameable  animal,  but  read- 
ing an  account  of  him  when  I  got  home,  I  found 
this  passage  :  <fclt  is  a  common,  but  erroneous  idea, 
that  the  hyaena  is  wholly  savage  and  untameable. 
Both  species  have  been  tamed,  and  instances  are 
recorded  of  their  manifesting  all  the  attachment  of 
a  dog.  The  striped  hyaena  has  recently  been  do- 
mesticated in  the  Cape  territory,  and  is  considered 
one  of  the  best  hunters  after  game,  and  as  faithful 
as  any  of  the  common  domestic  dogs."  We  now 
came  to  the  Bengal  or  Asiatic  lion,  who  differs  from 
the  Cape  or  African  lion,  in  being  smaller,  and  of 


OF     ANIMALS.  93 

a  lighter,  more  uniform  color.  The  man  poked  at 
him  with  his  stick,  until,  after  some  resistance,  he 
got  up  and  began  walking  his  cage.  How  dignified 
and  majestic  he  looked  as  he  walked  up  and  down ! 
It  seemed  a  shame  to  poke  at  and  torment  the  no- 
ble animal.  And  he  looked  nearly  as  well  lying 
down  as  standing  up.  Among  the  last  animals  in 
the  row  were  two  bears.  One  of  them  was  indulg- 
ing in  a  strange  exercise,  viz  : 
moving  his  four  feet  in  succes- 
sion t  first  forward,  or  partly 
sideways,  and  then  back  again,  with  the  regularity  of 
a  machine.  This  strange  habit  is  peculiar  to  bears  ; 
they  will  do  it  for  hours  together.  Bruin  stood 
with  his  back  to  the  company,  very  impolitely,  and 
with  his  head  down,  seemed  absorbed  in  watching 
his  toes.  He  was  evidently  practising  the  steps  of 
some  cotillion,  although  he  was  the  last  individual 
from  whom  dancing  would  be  expected.  Once  he 
turned  round,  looked  gravely  at  the  company  a  mo- 
ment, as  if  expecting  applause,  and  again  became 
absorbed  with  his  steps.  But  now  we  heard  sounds 
from  the  lion's  cage,  and  turned  back  to  it.  His 
majesty,  it  seems,  could  not  disguise  his  dissatisfac- 
tion towards  his  visitors,  and  favored  them  with  a 
series  of  sounds,  half  growl,  half  yawn,  as  if  to  hint 
to  them  that  their  presence  was  wearisome  to  him. 
Such  utter,  intense  disgust,  the  sound,  and  the  very 
look  of  his  face  expressed  !  We  were  very  much 


94 

amused.  But  leaving  him,  we  went  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  room,  where  were  the  cages  of  the 
trained  animals  that  Herr  Driesbach  goes  in  among 
every  day.  There  was  also  a  blue-faced  baboon. 
This  creature  is  found  on  the  Gold  Coast,  and  in 
several  other  parts  of  Africa,  and  also  in  the  East 
Indies..  He  is  the  largest  of  the  baboon  kind,  be- 
ing from  three  to  five  feet  high.  He  is  a  horrid, 
ugly,  disgusting  looking  creature,  seeming  to  be 
possessed  of  the  concentrated  ugliness  of  all  the 
monkey  and  baboon  tribe.  His  cheeks  are  of  a 
deep  blue  color,  and  have  no 
hair  on  them.  A  narrow, 
blood-red  ridge  extends  down 
the  middle  of  his  face,  and  term- 
inates in  the  nose,  giving  him 
an  ugly  enough  appearance. 
«-  "  ~  — -  As  he  is  entirely  brutal  and 

untameable,  and  of  enormous  strength,  he  is  of 
course  a  dreadful  creature  to  come  in  contact  with. 
But  now  again  hearing  sounds  from  the  lion,  we 
repaired  to  his  cage.  As  we  passed  the  cages,  we 
saw  Bruin  still  practising  his  dancing,  and  the  per- 
severing hyaena  still  tramping  round,  catching  his 
nose.  The  unhappy  lion  had  evidently  been  re- 
flecting over  his  grievances — his  being  stared  at, 
poked  at,  and  poked  up — both  his  person  and  his 
temper — for  the  amusement  of  visitors  ;  and  he 
now  gave  full  utterance  to  his  indignation  and 


OP     ANIMALS.  95 

wrath  in  a  series  of  roars.  But  one  of  the  keepers 
came  up,  and  with  his  loud  voice  and  stick  soon 
silenced  him.  Poor  fellow !  After  enduring  so 
much,  not  even  to  be  allowed  the  satisfaction  of 
grumbling  at  it,  was  the  greatest  wrong  of  all,  and 
the  hardest  to  bear.  But  as  there  was  an  elephant, 
rhinoceros,  and  llama  down  stairs  we  left  the  in- 
jured lion  to  see  them.  Every  one  has  read  about 
the  elephant,  so  I  will  not  describe  him,  but  merely 
state  a  few  facts  I  saw  in  the  newspaper  about  this 
particular  elephant.  He  is 
the  largest  in  America,  being 
eleven  feet  high,  and  weighing 
11,000  pounds.  He  is  forty 
years  old  ;  that,  however,  is 
not  old  for  an  elephant ;  they 
are  said  to  live  to  one  hundred 
years,  and  some  say  to  three  or  four  hundred. 
Every  day  he  eats  400  pounds  of  hay,  three  bush- 
els of  oats,  and  drinks  four  barrels  of  water  ;  then 
he  also  gets  a  good  many  cakes,  apples,  etc.,  from 
his  visitors.  There's  a  glutton  for  you  !  The  rhi- 
noceros is,  perhaps,  the  most  worth  seeing  of  all  the 
collection.  They  are  very  hard  to  keep  alive  in 
this  country.  One  reason  is,  in  their  own  country 
they  are  accustomed  to  live  by  rivers,  and  in  marshy 
places,  where  they  wallow  a  good  deal  in  the  mud  ; 
and  in  this  country,  they  must  miss  the  water  very 
much,  kept  in  cages  as  they  are.  This  one  looked 


96  MERRY'S  BOOK 

not  unlike  a  great  hog,  particularly  as  he  had  no 
horn,  it  having  been  broken  off.  Their  horns  are 
often  from  three  and  a  half,  to  four  feet  high. 
Think  what  a  weight  to  carry  on  the  nose.  The 
largest  rhinoceros'  have,  I  read,  nearly  as  great 
bodies  as  elephants,  but  having  such  short  legs 
they  do  not  appear  so  large.  In  the  next  pen  there 
was  a  llama,  a  pretty,  delicately  formed  animal, 
quite  a  contrast  to  the  great,  bulky  rhinoceros.  You 
all  know  how  useful  she  is  in  South  America,  car- 
rying burdens,  so  I  will  not  enlarge  upon  that.  This 
one  was  about  four  feet  high,  with  long  reddish 
hair  on  her  body,  slender  legs,  and  a  small  pretty 
head.  She  seemed  quite  tame  and  gentle,  letting 
me  pat  her  head,  and  eating  cake  and  apple  from 
my  hand.  But  when  I  had  no  more  to  give  her,  she 
was  much  displeased,  stamped  her  foot,  put  up  her 
head  and  spit  in  my  face.  A  grateful  return,  cer- 
tainly !  Her  ladyship  might  have  found  some  more 
delicate  way,  I  should  think,  of  expressing  her  dis- 
pleasure. The  llama  is  generally  gentle  and  docile, 
but  if  ill-treated,  she  becomes  spiteful,  and  uses 
this  strange  mode  of  retaliation.  We  went  down 
stairs  to  see  Herr  Driesbach  enter  the  animals'  cage. 
Before  he  went  in,  he  passed  through  the  menag- 
erie looking  at  the  animals.  When  he  came  to  the 
cages  he  was  to  enter,  the  animals  immediately  be- 
gan to  jump  about,  as  if  they  were  delighted  to  see 
him.  The  lioness  particularly,  seemed  transported 


OP    ANIMALS. 


97 


with  joy  ;  she  jumped  up  against 
the  bars  of  the  cage,  threw  her- 
self on  the  ground  and  rolled,  and 
testified   in  every  way  the  great- 
est joy  at  seeing  him.     It  evident- 
THE  ZEBRA.       ly  was  joy,  not  fear.     The   parti- 
tions that  divided  the  cages  were  soon  taken  away, 
and  gas  was  lighted  round  the  cage,  which  added 
much   to  the   effect.     A   few  minutes   after,  Herr 
Driesbach  entered  the  cage.     The  per- 
formances were  wonderful.     He  made 
the  animals  come  to  him,  lie  down  be- 
side him,  jump  up,  on,  and  over  him, 
open  doors,  and  do  several  other  things. 
It  was  wonderful  to  see  these  naturally 
fierce  animals  play  ing  and  leaping  about 
him,  obeying  his  every  command,  even 
letting  him  examine  their  teeth,  and     OAMEL  "<>PAM> 
put  his  head  in  the   lion's  mouth.     I  don't   think 
there   is  any  cause  at  such  exhibitions   for  being 
nervous   and  frightened   for  fear  of  their  getting 
provoked  and  hurting  the  man,  for  though  we  know 
them  to  be  fierce,  treacherous  creatures,  the  man 
must  know  it  still  better,  and  know  how  to  be  on 
his  guard  against  them.     He  would  know  how  fer 
he  could  go,  without  rousing  them,  and  how  far  to 
insist   on  their  obedience.     Before  I   saw  them,   I 
thought  there  must  be  great  cruelty  used  to  subdue 
them  so,  and  that  they  must  be  kept  in  most  abject 


98  MERRY'SBOOK 

fear,  but  this  was  evidently  not  the  case  ;  they 
seemed  perfectly  free  and  familiar,  only  having 
such  wholesome  awe  of  their  master  as  would  make 
them  fear  to  disobey.  I  do  not  see  why  there  should 
be  greater  cruelty  used  towards  them  than  is  used 
to  a  dog  ;  who,  though  fond  of  his  master,  fears  to 
disobey  him,  knowing  he  will  be  pun- 
ished ;  and  as  these  animals'  training: 
begin  when  they  are  cubs,  I  should 
not  think  it  would-be  very  hard  to 
keep  them  in  proper  restraint.  Afte  r 
the  performances  we  left,  and  I  really 
felt  quite  a  tender  feeling  for  the 
THE  OSTRICH,  dear  old  hyaena,  blue-faced  baboon, 
and  all  the  other  animals,  and  felt  quite  sad  to  think 
I  might  never  see  them  again. 


OF     ANIMALS. 


99 


HIPPOPOTAMUS  HUNTING. 


TO  cut  a  supply  of  wood  for  a  whaling  cruise  is  a 
work  re  quiring  some  days,  and  often  even  weeks, 
and  it  had  been  determined  that  the  first,  and  if 
need  be  the  next  day  likewise,  should  be  devoted 
to  a  thorough  inspection  of  the  facilities  of  the 


100 

place,  in  order  that  we  might  work  at  as  little  dis- 
advantage as  possible. 

Consequently  we,  the  mate's  boat's  crew,  had 
been  ordered  to  prepare  for  a  general  cruise.  We 
provided  ourselves  with  a  store  of  bread  and  beef, 
filled  the  boat's  breaker  with  water,  spread  our  sail 
to  the  breeze,  and  pointed  the  boat's  bow  toward 
the  nearest  island.  Landing  here,  we  found  nought 
but  a  wilderness  of  low  jungle,  which  was  scarcely 
penetrable,  together  with  a  poor  landing.  We  ex- 
amined three  or  four  of  the  islets,  and  having  at 
last  fixed  upon  a  suitable  place  where  to  commence 
operations,  were  about  to  return  on  board,  when 
the  mate  said : 

"  Trim  aft,  Tom,  there's  a  good  breeze,  fair  com- 
ing and  going,  and  we'll  take  a  look  at  the  main- 
land." Accordingly,  the  boat's  head  was  laid  shore- 
ward, and  we  spread  ourselves  out  at  full  length 
upon  the  thwarts,  enjoying  an  unusual  treat  of 
some  cigars  which  our  chief  officer  had  good  natu- 
redly  brought  with  him. 

When  within  about  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  main- 
land, we  found  the  water  shoaling,  being  then  not 
more  than  three  fathoms — eighteen  feet — deep. 

"  I  saw  black  skin  glisten  in  the  sun  just  then," 
said  the  boat-steerer,  who  was  aft,  the  mate  having 
stretched  himself  upon  the  bow-thwart  to  take  a 
nap. 

"  It  was  nothing  but  a  puffing  pig,"  said  he, 
drowsily. 


OF     ANIMALS.  101 

"  There  it  is  again,  and  no  puffing  pig  either — 
nor — no,"  said  he,  with  some  degree  of  animation 
— "  nor  any  thing  else  that  wears  black  skin  that  I 
ever  saw  before." 

This  had  the  effect  of  rousing  us  up,  every  one 
casting  his  eyes  ahead  to  catch  a  sight  of  the  ques- 
tionable "  black  skin." 

"  There  he  blows  !" — "  and  there  again  I" — "  and 
over  here,  too,"  said  several  voices  in  succession. 

"  It  ain't  a  spout  at  all,  boys  ;  let's  pull  up  and 
see  what  it  is  !" 

We  took  out  our  oars,  and  the  boat  was  soon 
darting  forward  at  good  speed  toward  the  place 
where  we  had  last  seen  the  object  of  our  curiosity. 

"  Stern  all !"  suddenly  shouted  the  mate,  as  the 
boat  brought  up  "  all  standing"  against  some  ob- 
ject which  we  had  not  been  able  to  see  on  account 
of  the  murkiness  of  the  water,  the  collision  nearly 
throwing  us  upon  our  backs  into  the  bottom  of  the 
boat.  As  we  backed  off,  an  enormous  beast  slowly 
raised  his  head  above  the  water,  gave  a  loud  snort, 
and  incontinently  dove  down  again,  almost  before 
we  could  get  a  fair  look  at  it. 

"  What  is  it  ?"  was  now  the  question — which  no 
one  could  answer. 

"  Whatever  it  is,"  said  the  mate,  whose  whaling 
blood  was  up,  "  if  it  comes  within  reach  of  my  iron, 
I'll  make  fast  to  it,  lads — so  pull  ahead."  We  were 
again  under  headway,  keeping  a  bright  look-out  for 
the  reappearance  of  the  stranger. 


102  MERRY'S  BOOK 

"  There  they  are,  a  whole  school,"  said  the  mate, 
eagerly,  pointing  in  shore,  where  the  glistening  of 
white  water  showed  that  a  number  of  the  nonde- 
scripts were  evidently  enjoying  themselves.  "Now, 
boys,  pull  hard,  and  we'll  soon  try  their  mettle." 

"  There's  something  broke  water,  just  ahead," 
said  the  boat-steerer. 

"  Pull  easy,  lads — I  see  him — there— way  enough 
• — there's  his  back  !" 

"  Stern  all !"  shouted  he,  as  he  darted  his  iron 
into  a  back  as  broad  as  a  small  sperm-whale's. 

"  Stern  all — back  water — back  water,  every  man!" 
and  the  infuriated  beast  made  desperate  lunges  in 
every  direction,  making  the  white  water  fly  almost 
equal  to  a  whale. 

We  could  now  see  the  whole  shape  of  the  crea- 
ture as,  in  his  agony  and  surprise,  he  raised  him- 
self high  above  the  surface.  We  all  recognized  at 
once  the  Hippopotamus,  as  he  is  represented  in 
books  of  natural  history. 

Our  subject  soon  got  a  little  cooler,  and  giving  a 
savage  roar,  bent  his  head  round  until  he  grasped 
the  shank  of  the  iron  between  his  teeth.  With  one 
jerk  he  drew  it  out  of  his  bleeding  quarter,  and 
shaking  it  savagely,  dove  down  to  the  bottom. 
The  water  was  here  but  about  two  fathoms  deep, 
and  we  could  see  the  direction  in  which  he  was 
traveling  along  the  bottom,  by  a  line  of  blood,  as 
well,as  by  the  air-bubbles  which  rose  to  the  surface 
as  he  breathed. 


OF     ANIMALS. 


103 


tl 


\. 


104  MERRY'S    BOOK 

"  Give  me  another  iron,  Charley,  and  we'll  not 
give  him  a  chance  to  pull  it  out  next  time." 

The  iron  was  handed  up,  and  we  slowly  sailed  in 
the  direction  which  our  prize  was  following  along 
the  bottom. 

"  Here's  two  or  three  of  them  astern  of  us,"  said 
the  boat-steerer. 

Just  then  two  more  rose,  one  on  either  side  ol 
the  boat,  and  in  rather  unpleasant  proximity  ;  and 
before  we  had  begun  to  realize  our  situation,  the 
wounded  beast,  unable  any  longer  to  stay  beneath 
the  surface,  came  up  to  breathe  just  ahead. 

"  Pull  ahead  a  little  ;  let's  get  out  of  this  snarl. 
Lay  the  boat  round — so — now,  stern  all !"  and  the 
iron  was  planted  deep  in  the  neck  of  our  victim. 
With  a  roar  louder  than  a  dozen  of  the  wild  bulls 
of  Madagascar,  the  now  maddened  beast  made  for 
the  boat. 

"  Back  water  ! — back,  I  say  !  Take  down  this 
boat-sail,  and  stern  all !  Stern,  for  your  lives,  men !" 
as  two  more  appeared  by  the  bows,  evidently  pre- 
pared to  assist  their  comrade.  He  was  making  the 
water  fly  in  all  directions,  and  having  failed  to 
reach  the  boat,  was  now  vainly  essaying  to  grasp 
the  iron,  which  the  mate  had  purposely  put  into 
his  short  neck,  so  close  to  his  head  that  he  could 
not  get  it  in  his  mouth. 

"  Stick  out  line  till  we  get  clear  of  the  school, 
and  then  we'll  pull  up  on  the  other  side  of  this  fel- 
low, and  soon  settle  him  with  ;i  lance." 

* 


OP     ANIMALS.  105 

This  was  done  ;  and  as  we  again  hauled  upon  the 
still  furious  beast,  the  mate  poised  his  bright  lance 
for  a  moment,  then  sent  it  deep  into  his  heart. 
With  a  tremendous  roar,  and  a  desperate  final 
struggle  of  scarcely  a  minute's  duration,  our  prize 
gave  up  the  ghost,  and  after  sinking  for  a  moment, 
rose  again  to  the  surface,  lying  upon  his  side,  just 
as  does  the  whale  when  dead. 

His  companions  had  left  us,  and  we  now,  giving 
three  cheers  for  our  victory,  towed  the  carcass  to 
the  not  far  distant  shore.  When  we  here  viewed 
the  giant,  and  thought  of  the  singular  agility  he 
had  displayed  in  the  water,  we  could  not  help  ac- 
knowledging to  one  another  that  to  get  among  a 
school  of  Hippopotami  would  be  rather  a  desperate 
game. 


106 


MERRY'S   BOOK 


A  SPIDER  DROWNED   OUT, 


NE  of  my  friends,  while  re- 
dlining on  a  sofa  yesterday,  had 
.his  ear  selected  by  a  down-look- 
spider,  for  a  pleasant  outpost. 
The  eaves-dropper  settled  himself 
«i  v\  ^)  in  the  inner  chamber,  before  my 
t  4  j|  friend  was  aware  of  his  intent. 
"Lend  me  only  one  of  your  ears," 
said  the  considerate  intruder.  The  question  arises, 
what  was  his  object  ?  Did  he  mean  to  lure  flies  in- 
to his  retreat,  or  to  watch  for  and  seize  upon  them 
from  his  hiding-place  ? 

Possession  is  ten-tenths  of  spider-law  ;  and  he 
forthwith  arranged  (arraignee)  his  limbs,  and  fold- 
ed himself  nicely  up  in  his  new  lodgings,  not  partic- 
ularly to  the  comfort  of  the  rightful  owner  thereof. 
After  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  dislodge 
him,  the  bright  thought  of  pouring  in  water  was 
resorted  to  ;  and  having  a  whole  lake  of  that  valu- 
able remedy,  we  spared  not,  and  so  floated  Mr.  Spi- 
der from  the  premises. 

He  spoedily  ran  off  to  higher  ground  for  his  en- 


OP     ANIMALS.  107 

camprnents,  the  flood  being  too  much  for  him,  and 
we — generously  let  him  go.  My  friend,  Uncle  Toby- 
like,  said,  the  world  was  wide  enough,  only,  noses 
and  ears  must  be  left  unmolested. 

ICHNEUMON   FLY. 

Did  you  ever,  my  dear  little  observers,  did  you 
ever  notice  the  plans  and  ways  of  this  wasp-shaped 
insect?  I  never  studied  about  him,  and  perhaps 
you  can  tell  me  more  than  I  can  tell  you.  I  will 
tell  you  what  I  saw.  I  saw  these  little  architects 
construct  many  houses  of  mud  just  large  enough  to 
hold  one  of  themselves.  No  mason  could  build 
smoother,  or  construct  an  edifice  piece  by  piece,  so 
that  you  could  not  see  the  joining.  They  choose 
an  upright  board,,  or  a  roof  of  wood,  sheltered  from 
rain,  against  which  to  secure  these  homes  for  their 
children.  Instead  of  a  house,  suppose  I  call  it  a 
cradle,  for  it  bears  that  shape. 
Within  each,  at  the  extreme 
end,  in  a  smooth  little  hollow, 
is  placed  the  infant  fly,  in  the 
form  of  an  egg.  Only  one  in 
every  separate  cradle.  I  nev- 
er yet  saw  twins.  Now,  the 
ICHNEUMON  FLY.  parents  go  spider  -  hunting. 
Having  captured  a  good  fat  one,  they  put  him 
asleep  by  magnetism,  all  their  own,  and  place  him 
carefully  by  the  little  egg.  Then  another  and  an- 


108  M  EERY'S  BOOK 

other,  until  ten  are  packed  in.  Ten  living  spiders, 
but  all  lying  dormant,  fill  the  nest. 

Then  the  open  door  at  the  top  is  shut  tight  and 
sealed  with  the  same  mud  material  of  which  the 
cradle  is  composed. 

After  many  days,  a  nice  young  grub  awakes  to 
eat,  and  there  is  his  food  all  prepared.  He  begins 
at  one  spider,  and  by  the  time  he  has  eaten  the  ten 
he  is  so  stout  and  well-grown,  he  commences  to 
break  out  of  jail,  as  it  were.  And  he  does  come 
forth. 

When  his  fly  life  begins,  what  a  joy  it  must  be  ! 
How  he  spreads  his  gauzy  wings  in  the  sun,  and 
hums  his  delight.  He  has  all  the  happiness  he  is 
capable  of  receiving.  Watch  him,  admire  his  beau- 
tiful organization.  See  that  slight  thread  of  con- 
nection, through  which  all  the  nerves  and  all  the 
digestive  powers  exist. 

"God  is  good,"  is  the  written  word  to  be  read  in 
the  life  of  every  living  thing. 


OF     ANIMALS.  109 

DEACON  SHORT'S  CATTLE. 


A  CCORDINa  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and 
./JL  belief,  all  horned  cattle,  so  far  as  their  habits 
and  manners  are  concerned,  are  very  much  alike. 
Deacon  Short's  cattle,  I  am  persuaded,  would  not 
behave  at  all  differently  from  Squire  Long's  cattle, 
in  similar  circumstances.  It  may  be  worth  while, 
nevertheless,  to  notice  how  the  deacon's  cattle  act- 
ed on  a  certain  occasion. 

I  must  first  say,  however,  that  Deacon  Short  was 
a  merciful  man,  and,  therefore,  was  merciful  to  his 
beasts.  No  living  thing  around  him  ever  suffered 
for  the  want  of  care.  If  he  thought  there  was  a 
lack  of  comfort  anywhere,  he  could  not  feel  com- 
fortable himself.  Accordingly,  at  the  time  refer- 
red to — that  is,  near  sundown,  on  a  bitter  cold  day 
in  January — he  might  haye  been  seen  about  the 


110  OF     ANIMALS. 

shed  where  his  cattle  were  quartered,  making  lib- 
eral additions  to  their  straw  beds.  "Of  course,  then 
they  had  a  good  comfortable  night's  lodging." 
Don't  be  too  sure  of  that,  my  friend.  They  might 
have  slept  much  more  comfortable  than  they  did, 
had  they  been  a  little  more  accommodating.  There 
was  old  Brindle,  in  particular.  She  pushed  her  in- 
feriors about  without  mercy,  and  seemed  to  care 
a  great  deal  more  for  herself  than  for  all  the  rest 
together.  She  meant  to  have  the  very  best  place 
under  the  shed,  if  she  could  find  where  it  was. 
Young  Spot,  too,  gave  signs  of  a  determination  to 
do  as  well  as  she  could.  The  good  deacon  was 
quite  displeased  to  see  them  treat  their  companions 
with  so  much  rudeness,  and,  to  teach  them  better 
manners,  gave  them  two  or  three  pokes  apiece  with 
the  tail  of  his  pitchfork.  All  that  amounted  to  but 
little,  however.  As  soon  as  he  was  fairly  out  of 
sight,  they  began  to  perform  as  before.  Any  steer 
or  heifer  that  ventured  too  near  them  got  a  cruel 
thrust  of  their  horns  for  being  so  imprudent.  They 
finally  took  possession  of  that  part  of  the  shed 
which  seemed,  on  the  whole,  most  desirable.  They 
could  not  agree,  however,  to  lie  down  very  near 
each  other.  The  rest  had  more  kindly  feelings 
among  themselves,  and  huddled  down  together  in  a 
remote  part  of  the  shed. 

In  the  morning  when  Deacon  Short  entered  his 
barn-yard,  there  stood  Spot  and  Brindle  shivering 


OF      ANIMALS.  Ill 

with  cold.  The  wind  had  changed  during  the  night 
and  whirled  in  upon  them  a  pretty  thick  covering 
of  snow  ;  while  the  rest  of  the  herd,  by  lying  close 
together,  had,  in  a  measure,  protected  and  warmed 
one  another.  The  deacon  understood  the  case  at 
once.  "You  selfish  old  creature,"  said  he,  address- 
ing himself  to  Brindle  in  particular,  as  if  she  under- 
stood English  just  as  well  as  she  did  her  own  cow- 
language.  "Good  enough  for  you.  You  would 
have  lost  nothing,  you  see,  being  a  little  more  ac- 
commodating. Had  you  been  willing  to  warm  your 
neighbors,  they  would  have  warmed  you  as  much 
in  return."  Then  turning  his  reflections  into  a 
talk  to  himself,  he  went  on  :  "  So  it  is.  While  self- 
ishness is  sure  to  get  punished  in  some  way,  kind- 
ness and  benevolence  are  as  certain  to  meet  with 
reward.  A  man  is  accommodating  himself  even 
while  he  is  accommodating  his  neighbor.  He  who 
does  good  to  another,  does  good  to  himself  at  the 
same  time." 


112 


MERRY'S   BOOK 


COMMUNICATION  OF  IDEAS  AMONG 
CATTLE. 


HERE  is  a  large  shallow  inlet  on  the 
Prussian  shore  known  as  the  Frische 
Haff,  crossed  for  the  first  time  by 
steamers  ten  or  twelve  years  ago.  Upon 
their  way  the  vessels  paddle  by  a  common 
near  the  Elbing  river,  upon  which  the  towns-peo- 
ple turn  cattle  out  to  graze.  When  the  first  steam- 
ers passed  this  common,  they  caused  every  flank 
of  beef  to  quake  ;  such  fiends  in  dragon  shape  had 
never  appeared  before  to  try  the  nerves  of  any 
cow,  or  to  excite  wrath  in  the  bully  bosom  of  the 
most  experienced  among  the  warriors  of  the  herd. 
With  tails  erect,  therefore,  and  heads  bent  down, 
the  whole  colony  upon  the  common  charged  over 
dykes  and  ditches  inland,  roaring  horribly.  Every 
appearance  of  the  steamer,  to  the  great  joy  of  the 
crew,  caused  a  panic  and  a  scattering  of  oxen,  un- 
til, after  a  few  days,  the  animals  had  become  hard- 
ened to  the  sight,  and  took  it  as  a  thing  of  course, 
which  meant  no  harm  to  them.  Now,  all  the  horn- 
Od  beasts  on  the  common  during  that  first  year 


OF      ANIMALS.  113 

were  in  the  usual  way  to  be  fatted.  In  the  follow- 
ing spring  they  had  gone  the  way  of  beef,  and  their 
place  was  filled  by  a  new  generation  altogether. 
So  soon,  therefore,  as  the  Haff  was  clear  of  ice, 
and  the  steamers  began  to  ply  daily  upon  the 
route  between  Elbing  and  Konigsberg,  the  sailors 
were  on  the  alert  again  to  witness  the  old  scene  of 
uproar  by  the  water  side.  But  they  were  disap- 
pointed. Though  there  were  the  pasture  ground 
well  stocked  with  new  recruits  for  the  market,  who 
had  come  from  distant  inland  farms  or  out  of  stalls 
within  the  town,  though  scarcely  one  of  them — if 
any  one — had  ever  seen  the  apparition  of  a  steam- 
boat, not  a  cow  flinched.  The  members  of  the 
whole  herd  went  on  grazing  or  stared  imperturba- 
bly  at  the  phenomenon.  It  was  a  new  thing,  no 
doubt,  for  them  to  see.  Every  spring  the  first  pass- 
ing of  the  steamers  is  in  this  way  regarded  by  a 
fresh  generation  on  the  common  with  complete  in- 
difference. The  experience  acquired  by  its  fore- 
fathers ten  or  twelve  years  ago  seems  to  be  now 
added  to  the  knowledge  of  every  calf  born  in  any 
corner  of  our  province.  And  yet,  in  what  way, 
have  these  calves  been  educated  ?  or,  if  this  fact 
has  been  taught  to  them  at  all,  what  else  may  they 
not  know  1 


114 


MERRY'S    BOOK. 


DR.  DUNLOP  AND  THE  TIGER. 

HE  Dr.  while  in  the  East  In- 
dies conquered  a  royal  tiger 
(with  a  bladder  of  Scotch  snuff. 
Having  crossed  the  river  Gan- 
ges with  his  quarterly  allow- 
ance (seven  pounds)  of  snuff,  he 
observed  a  tiger  at  some  dis- 
tance. Being  without  guns,  he 
ordered  his  men  to  use  their 
oars  as  weapons  of  defence.  They  formed  into  a 
close  column,  with  our  backs  windward,  while  the 
doctor  emptied  the  contents  of  the  bladder  into  a 
piece  of  canvass,  and  danced  upon  it  till  it  became  as 
fine  as  dust.  The  tiger  continued  winding,  and  oc- 
casionally crouched.  When  he  approached  within 
twenty  yards  of  the  party,  the  doctor  discharged 
about  half  a  pound  of  the  ammunition,  part  of  which 
was  carried  by  the  strong  wind  into  the  face  of  the 
tiger,  who  growled,  shook  his  head  and  retreated. 
In  a  few  minutes  he  returned  to  the  charge,  ap- 
proaching the  party  cautiously,  and  rubbing  his  eyes 
occasionally  with  his  fore-legs.  When  within  about 
fifteen  yards  of  the  party  he  again  crouched,  and  as 
he  was  preparing  to  make  his  murderous  spring, 
the  doctor  and  his  party  let  fly  at  him  about  two 
pounds  of  snuff,  which  told  well,  for  the  royal  tiger 
commenced  roaring,  and  springing  into  the  Ganges, 
fled  to  the  opposite  shore. 


OF     A  N  I  M  A  L'S  .  115 


DUELLING  AMONG  MOSQUITOES. 


WO  mosquitoes  one  morning  met 
on  a  leaf  in  the  garden.     Both  were 
filled  with  the  blood  drawn  from  their  last 
nocturnal  depredationst     They  were  silent 
and  "dumpy,"  cross   and  savage.     One  of 
them  run  out  his  sting,  and  wiped  it  on  his 
fore-leg.     The  other  ran  out  his  sting,  and 
pointed  it  towards  the  first  musquito.     This  was 
considered  an  insult.    And  so  the  offended  mosquito 
steps  up  to  the  other,  and  says  : 
"Did  you  turn  up  your  sting  at  me  ?" 
The  answer  was — "I  run  out  my  sting  ;  you  can 
apply  it  as  you  choose." 

"Sir,"  says  the  first,  "you  are  very  impertinent." 
Answer — "Sir,  your  remark  savors  of  rascality." 
"Ha,"  exclaimed  the  other,  "a  downright  insult  I 
No  gentleman  mosquito  will  submit  to  such  treat- 
ment without  demanding  satisfaction  !     Draw,  vil- 
lain, and  defend  yourself  at  once  1"     They  rushed 
together,  and  running  one  another  through  the  body 
died  "honorable"  deaths. 


116  MERRY'S   BOOK 

If  anybody  is  disposed  to  question  the  honor  of 
these  two  mosquitoes,  or  from  their  conduct  to  im- 
pute any  dishonor  on  their  race,  it  should  be  said, 
that  they  were  not  bona  fide,  uncontaminated,  and 
unsophisticated  swamp  mosquitoes,  but  that  they 
had  been  lurking  about  a  boarding-house"  where 
they  had  learned  something  of.  polite  society,  and 
had  acquired  some  uppish  notions  that  made  them 
feel  very  grand. 


THE  RABBIT. 

A.  FABLE. 

A  rabbit  young — more  weak  than  keen, 
Held  in  its  mouth  a  walnut  green  ; 
His  parents  told  it,  "nuts  have  meat — 
The  kernel  of  that  nut  is  sweet !" 
But  nibbling  its  green  coat  uncouth, 
The  ignorant  creature  doubts  the  truth ; 
Deems  it  unfraught  with  meat  or  bread, 
And  gives  no  heed  to  what  is  said : 
His  wisdom  teeth  were  still  uncut ; 
The  youngster  threw  away  the  nut. 
A  keen-eyed  monkey  watched  the  lad — 
Seized  the  same  nut  extremely  glad ; ' 
Held  it  compress'd  with  dextrous  paw, 
Then  fairly  cracked  it  with  his  jaw  ; 
Rejoiced  and  grinning  o'er  the  troat, 
Breakfast  upon  delightful  meat. 
Then  young  Rabbit  says  with  sneer : 
"Your  parents  told  the  truth  my  dear j 
But  idle  boys,  with  giddy  stem, 
Knowledge  is  never  to  them." 


OF     ANIMALS.  117 


THE  INDIAN  LIZARD. 


HE  lizard  is,  in  the  warm  country  of 
India,  what  the  cricket  is  to  the  cold- 
er parts  of  the  world,  belonging  to  us 
and  our  races — a  familiar  little  creature  with  a 
familiar  little  chirp.  We  all  know  that  the 
cricket  has  a  song  of  his  own.  which  he  chants 
when  the  hearth  is  cosy.  Many  have  pleased  them- 
selves in  listening  to  it,  and  sometimes  making  out 
meanings  for  it.  Mr.  Dickens  once  heard  a  cricket 
singing  against  a  tea-kettle.  The  kettle  began  it, 
as  everybody  knows. 

These  crickets  and  lizards  are,  in  fact,  members 
of  a  very  large  family  to  which  fanciful  people  have 
at  all  times  been  extremely  partial.  The  little 
grass-hopping  folks  are  spoken  of  by  those  who 
have  written  earliest  in  the  world,  that  is,  the  He- 
brew prophets  and  singers  ;  the  Greeks  had  an 
idea  they  were  born  from  the  soil.  For  which  rea- 
son the  beautiful  maidens  of  Greece,  who  could 
boast  their  descent  from  a  long  line  of  ancestry,  in 
their  own  country,  used  to  wear  golden  grasshop- 
pers, or  cicadas,  in  their  hair,  as  much  as  to  say — 


118  MERRY'S   BOOK 

"we  have  the  "best  and  noblest  pedigrees  on  this 
ground."  Greek  poets  have  made  cheerful  and 
loving  odes  to  the  cicada — one  of  the  musical  bro- 
therhood, in  fact,  onty  of  a  kind  of  lower  order — a 
songster  that  always  reminded  them  of  the  fine 
weather  and  soft  breezes,  and  the  summer  sports 
and  enjoyments  under  the  shade  of  trees.  Bards 
of  other  countries,  too,  have  made  merry  or  tender 
allusions  to  it.  Lamartine  has  a  melancholy  little 
ode  to  his  cricket,  and  Lord  Byron  speaks  of 
The  shrill  cicadas,  people  of  the  pine, 
Making  their  summer  lives,  one  ceaseless  song. 

Those  crickets  and  grasshoppers  are  as  well 
known  to  us,  as  to  any  other  people,  and  we  find 
they  are  indeed  almost  incessant  singers  in  the  ge- 
nial season.  Sometimes,  at  night,  when  all  other 
sounds  are  still,  they  fill  the  air  with  their  chirp- 
ings, being  then,  doubtless,  performing  their  orato- 
rios, concerts,  operas  and  charivaris,  all  together  in 
the  open  air. 

But  I  began  with  the  lizard  and  must  not  forget 
it.  As  I  was  saying,  the  lizards  are  household  crea- 
tures in  India,  loving  the  open  windows  and  veran- 
dahs, as  their  Western  cousins  love  the  warm  ingle- 
nook.  Many  stories  are  told  about  them.  The  na- 
tives say  a  benevolent  lizard  will  watch  the  house 
at  night,  and  make  a  rousing  noise,  if  robbers  try 
to  break  in.  But  a  wickedly  disposed  lizard  will 


OF      ANIMALS.  119 

actually  encourage  the  villains,  and  come  forward 
to  show  them  where  the  money  is  locked  up.  Some 
of  the  natives  say  they  understand  the  talk  of  the 
•izards  as  they  see  them  in  groups  of  parents  and 
children,  on  the  verandahs.  That  is  a  very  old 
fancy  of  the  Eastern  people — the  power  of  under- 
standing the  speech  of  the  speechless  creatures. 
A  little  boy  one  day,  in  a  bungalow,  near  Madras, 
told  some  European  officers  that  he  heard  one  liz- 
ard say  to  another,  outside  the  window,  "My  wife 
is  coming  this  evening  1"  they  laughed  at  the  lad 
and  one  of  them  cuffed  him  for  telling  lies.  Aftei 
dinner,  a  ramper  of  wine  came  from  Madras,  and 
when  it  was  opened,  out  jumped  a  lizard,  and  the 
same  little  boy  heard  the  other  shouting  away  on 
the  verandah  :  "Here  she  comes,  tak,  tak,  tak  1  I 
knew  she'd  be  here,  tak-a-tak-a-tak  1"  The  unbe- 
lievers then  begged  the  little  fellow's  pardon  and 
gave  him  some  sweetmeats  to  comfort  him.  Such 
is  one  of  the  lizard  stories  told  and  believed  by  the 
natives  of  that  part  of  India. 


120 


MERRY'S   BOOK 


THE  WHALE. 


HALLO  !  old  fellow,  laid  high  and  dry, 

Upon  a  cake  of  ice ; 
Methinks  you  have  found  that  "getting  high," 

Is  not  a  convenient  vice ; 
And  that  "half-seas-over,"  as  there  you  lie, 

Is  any  thing  but  nice. 

You'll  doubtless  protest,  though  the  doctors  still 

The  contrary  declare, 
That  being  kept  dry  against  one's  will, 

The  health  is  sure  to  impair  ; 
And  it's  quite  as  bad  as  an  arsenic  pill, 

For  a  whale  to  "take  the  air." 

But,  where  are  you  bound,  in  your  flat-bottomed  smack, 
Without  rudder,  mast,  or  sail  1 


OP     ANIMALS.  121 


Do  you  take  old  England  in  your  track, 
And  call  on  the  Prince  of  Whales  7 

Will  you  stop  at  New  York,  as  you  go  back, 
And  with  Governor  Fish  regale  1 

You  need  not  fear  your  craft  to  steer 

Over  Nantucket  shoal ; 
Nor  deem  it  unsafe  approaching  near 

New  Bedford  or  Holmes'  Hole ; 
Nor  that  Judd  or  Macy,  or  any  one  here, 

Will  tap  your  brains  for  toll 

Whale  oil  is  no  longer  in  vogue,  you  know 

We're  quite  in  another  line. 
Camphene,  kerosene,  ct  cetera,  now, 

Have  taken  from  you  the  shine ; 
We  get  our  light  from  shote  and  sow, 

And  the  sperm  d*  the  city  is — swine. 

But,  hark'ee,  old  fellow,  don't  flap  your  jibs 

In  Paris,  or  Broadway,  please; 
There's  a  terrible  rage  among  our  "ribs'* 

For  skirts  of  ample  degrees ; 
And  the  ladies  will  tear  you  all  to  nibs/1 

Your  bony  parts  to  seize. 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


^>  HEN  science  was  younger  than 
she  is  now,  and  less  able  to  dis- 
tinguish between  being  and 
deeming  to  be,  certain  of  her  followers, 
who  fancied  themselves  learned  in  nat- 
ural  history,  used  to  find  marvellous  at- 
tributes  in  some  of  the  animals  they 
wrote  about.  For  reasons  not  easy  to  discover, 
they  seldom  mentioned  rats  without  expressions  of 
fear  or  abhorrence,  giving  the  creatures  credit  for 
more  than  human  intelligence.  There  was  no 
wickedness  that  rats  were  not  willing  to  perpetrate. 
Then  there  appeared  to  be  strange  relations  be- 
tween the  cunning  rodents  and  human  beings,  in- 
vesting them  with  a  mysterious  character,  not  only 
in  the  eyes  of  the  multitude,  but  in  the  opinion  of 
students.  At  times  they  were  more  than  half  sus- 
pected to  be  agents  of  the  Evil  One. 

Sou  they,  in  his  Doctor,  remarks  that  whatever 
man  does,  rat  always  takes  a  share  in  the  proceed- 
ings. Whether  it  be  building  a  ship,  or  erecting 


OF     ANIMALS.  123 

a  church,  digging  a  grave,  ploughing  a  field,  stor- 
ing a  pantry,  taking  a  journey,  or  planting  a  dis- 
tant colony,  rat  is  sure  to  have  something  to  do 
in  the  matter  ;  man  and  his  gear  can  no  more  get 
transported  from  place  to  place  without  him,  than 
without  the  ghost  in  the  wagon  that  "flitted  too." 
How  is  it  that  a  rat  knows  when  a  house  is  about 
to  fall,  or  a  ship  to  sink  ?  Where  did  they  learn 
to  carry  eggs  down  stairs,  from  the  top  of  the  house 
to  the  bottom,  without  breaking !  Who  taught 
them  to  abstract  the  oil  from  long-necked  flasks,  by 
dipping  their  tails  in,  and  then  licking  the  unctuous 
drops  from  the  extremity  ?  What  precedent  had 
they  for  leading  a  blind  companion  about  by  a 
straw  held  in  the  mouth,  and  how  did  they  know 
he  could  not  see  ?  All  those  are  questions  requir- 
ing no  small  amount  of  ingenuity  to  answer. 

As  with  nations,  so  with  rats  ;  one  tribe  comes 
and  dispossesses  another.  The  rats  that  used  to 
gnaw  the  bacon  in  Saxon  larders  in  Alfred's  reign  ; 
that  squealed  behind  the  wainscot  when  Cromwell's 
Ironsides  were  carrying  royalist  mansions  ;  that 
disturbed  the  sleep  of  George  I.,  were  a  hardy 
black  species,  now  seldom  seen,  and  doomed,  ap- 
parently, to  become  as  rare  as  the  dodo.  Like  the 
Red  Men  in  presence  of  the  Palefaces,  they  have 
had  to  retire  before  the  Norwegian  rat,  larger  in 
size,  and  brown  in  color.  Notwithstanding  all  the 


124  MERRY'S   BOOK 

popular  notions  on  the  subject,  it  is  difficult  to  ex- 
plain why  this  was  called  the  Norwegian  rat  ;  for 
it  did  not  come  from  Norway.  It  may  surprise 
those,  who  are  sticklers  for  their  Scandinavian  ori- 
gin, to  know  that  this  rat  was  brought  to  England 
from  India  and  Persia,  in  1730. 

In  1750,  the  breed  made  its  way  to  France  j  and 
\ts  progress  over  Europe  has  since  been  more  or 
less  rapid.  When  Pallas  was  traveling  in  South- 
ern Russia,  he  saw  the  first  detachment  arrive  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Volga, .in  1766.  The  species 
multiplies  so  rapidly,  breeding  three  times  a  year, 
each  litter  numbering  from  twelve  to  twenty,  that 
a  single  family,  if  kept  from  harm's  way,  would  pro- 
duce nearly  a  million  in  two  years.  No  wonder 
they  drove  out  our  aboriginal  black  rat !  In  Ire- 
land, th^y  did  more  ;  they  killed  the  frogs,  once 
numerous  in  that  country ;  and  since  the  diminu- 
tion of  the  croaking  race,  the  waters,  as  peasantry 
say,  have  been  less  pure  than  formerly.  The  Isle  of 
France  was  once  abandoned  by  the  Dutch,  because 
of  the  prodigious  increase  of  rats  j  human  life  was 
hardly  safe  from  their  attacks. 

After  making  themselves  comfortably  at  home  in 
England,  the  country  of  their  adoption,  they  sent 
colonies  across  the  Atlantic — rat  empire,  like  men's 
empire,  taking  its  course  westward.  In  the  West 
Indies  they  found  congenial  quarters,  no  cold,  and 
plenty  of  food  ;  and,  multiplying  in  consequence 


OF     ANIMALS.  125 

at  an  astonishing  rate,  they  became  a  destructive 
and  intolerable  pest,  until  the  inhabitants  were 
obliged,  in  self-defence,  to  poison  them  with  arsen- 
ic and  pellets  of  cassava.  The  remedy  was  attend- 
ed by  dismal  results,  for  tormented  by  thirst,  after 
eating  the  poison,  the  rats  swarmed  down  to  drink 
at  the  streams,  and  falling  in,  the  water  was  poi- 
soned, and  a  great  mortality  followed  among  the 
cattle  that  drank  from  the  same  rivers. 

Besides  this  check,  they  have  many  natural  ene- 
mies in  the  islands  ;  the  Fermica  imnivora  is  not 
the  least  formidable  ;  a  battalion  of  this  species, 
known  as  the  Raffle's  ant,  makes  but  short  work  of 
clearing  a  plantation  of  every  rat.  At  one  time 
the  negroes  used  to  catch  the  rats,  and  expose  them 
for  sale  in  the  markets  of  Jamaica,  where  the  black 
population  were  always  willing  purchasers.  The 
Chinese,  too,  have  a  weakness  for  "such  small  deer  ;" 
and  it  is  a  standing  bit  of  fun  on  board  ships  lying 
in  Canton  harbor,  to  catch  a  rat,  and  hold  the  strug- 
gling animal  up  by  the  tail,  in  sight  of  the  celestial 
crews  in  the  tea-lighters  alongside.  A  shout  is  im- 
mediately set  up,  and  no  sooner  is  the  rat  flung 
from  the  ship  than  an  uproarious  scramble  follows 
for  the  possession  of  the  coveted  prize. 

The  Greeks  knew  a  good  many  things  ;  but  if 
naturalists  are  to  be  believed,  they  did  not  know 
either  the  Norwegian  rat,  or  the  black  rat :  a  large 
sized  mouse  was  their  familiar  pest.  Where  the 


126 

black  rat  originally  came  from,  is  a  mystery.  Some 
suppose  it  to  be  a  native  of  America.  But  how  did 
it  get  to  Europe  ?  Did  it  cross  the  Behring's  Strait 
and  traverse  the  whole  continent  of  Asia  ?  One 
cause  of  its  present  rarity,  besides  the  invasion 
mentioned  above,  is,  that  it  brings  forth  not  more 
than  five  or  six  young  at  a  time,  and  only  once  a 
year. 

There  are  about  one  hundred  species  of  rats, 
large  and  small,  audacious  and  harmless  ;  very  few, 
however,  devoid  of  the  mischievous  propensity. 

Nine  inches  is  a  respectable  length  for  a  Norway 
rat ;  but  the  giant  rat  of  Malabar  is  twenty-four 
inches  long — one  half  body,  the  other  half  tail. 
The  hamster  species  swarm  in  the  southern  pro- 
vinces of  Russia,  and  has  settlements  in  Hungary 
and  Germany.  They  are  excessively  fond  of  liquor- 
ice, whether  wild  or  cultivated,  and  find  abundance 
of  either  in  those  countries,  committing  sad  havoc 
in  the  plantations. 

For  winter  use,  they  store  up  in  their  burrows 
from  twelve  to  one  hundred  pounds  of  grain  in  the 
ear,  and  seeds  in  pods,  all  well  cleaned  and  dried. 
The  hamster  is  about  the  size  of  the  Norway  rat, 
but  with  a  tail  not  more  than  three  inches  in  length. 
It  has  a  pouch  in  each  cheek,  not  seen  when  empty, 
but  when  full  they  resemble  blown  bladders  coated 
with  fur.  These  pouches  are  the  animal's  panniers, 
and  are  generally  carried  home  well  filled  from  fo- 


OP     ANIMALS.  127 

raging  expeditions,  when  they  are  emptied  by 
pressing  the  forepaws  against  them.  Dr.  Russell, 
who  dissected  one  of  these  rats,  found  the  pouches 
filled  with  young  French-beans,  packed  one  upon 
another,  so  closely  and  skillfully  that  the  most  ex- 
pert fingers  could  not  have  economized  the  recep- 
tacle to  greater  advantage.  When  taken  out  and 
laid  loosely,  they  formed  a  heap  three  times  the 
bulk  of  the  creature's  body  !  The  hamster,  more- 
over, is  brave  as  well  as  prudent,  and  shrinks  from 
no  enemy,  be  it  man,  horse,  or  dog  ;  mere  size  has  no 
terrors  for  it.  If  facing  a  dog,  the  rat  empties  his 
pouches  of  their  contents,  and  then  inflating  them 
to  the  utmost,  gives  such  a  big,  swollen  appear- 
ance to  his  head  and  neck,  as  to  present  a  most  ex- 
traordinary contrast  to  his  body. 

The  two  sexes  live  apart  in  their  habitations — 
the  males  in  one  set  of  chambers,  the  females  in 
the  other  ;  a  practice  which  again  shows  analogy 
between  rats  and  some  human  sects.  The  peasants 
dig  down  to  the  burrows  in  winter,  and  seizing  the 
stores  of  grain,  and  the  torpid  rats,  they  eat  the 
flesh  of  the  latter  in  some  places,  and  sell  their 
skins.  In  Germany,  rewards  are  given  by  the  au- 
thorities for  all  the  rat  skins  brought  in  ;  and  it  is 
on  record  in  the  town  hall  of  Gotha,  that  not  fewer 
than  145,000  were  paid  for  during  three  seasons. 

Somewhat  similar  in  habit  is  the  economic  rat, 
which  is  found  inhabiting  the  American  and  Asiatic 


128  MERRY'S    BOOK 

shores  of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  This  species  general- 
ly form  their  abode  in  a  turfy  soil,  where  they  ex- 
cavate chambers  a  foot  in  diameter,  with  a  flat 
arched  roof,  and  at  times  thirty  entrance-passages 
ramifying  in  different  directions.  Besides  the  lodg- 
ing-vaults, they  dig  others,  to  be  used  as  store- 
houses, and  employ  themselves  during  the  summer 
in  filling  these  with  edible  roots  ;  and  so  careful 
are  they  over  the  task,  that  if  the  least  trace  of 
damp  appears,  they  bring  out  the  roots  again  and 
again  on  sunshiny  days '  till  they  are  sufficiently 
dried. 

Like  their  German  congeners,  they  are  exposed 
to  pillage,  especially  in  Kamtschatka,  where  the  na- 
tives in  winter  often  run  short  of  provisions.  They 
are  found  also  in  Iceland  ;  but  food  being  scant  in 
that  inhospitable  country,  the  economic  foragers 
have  frequently  to  cross  and  recross  rivers  and 
lakes  in  their  search  for  provant.  Olaffsen  relates 
that  on  such  occasions  "the  party  consisting  of  from 
six  to  ten,  select  a  flat  piece  of  dried  cow-dung,  on 
which  they  place  the  berries  they  have  collected, 
in  a  heap  in  the  middle  ;  and  then,  by  their  united 
force,  drawing  it  to  the  water's  edge,  launch  it,  and 
embark,  placing  themselves  round  the  heap,  with 
their  heads  joined  over  it,  and  their  backs  to  the 
water,  their  tails  pendant  in  the  stream,  and  serv- 
ing the  purpose  of  rudders.7' 


OF     ANIMALS. 


129 


THE  PET  CHICKEN 


HENRY'S  father  was  a  farmer,  and  bad  a  great 
many  hens  and  chickens.     One  morning,  when 
Henry  went  out  to  assist  in  feeding  them,  he  saw  one 
of  the  little  chickens  whose  foot  had  been  injured, 
so  that  she  was  quite  lame,  and  she  could  not  run 


130 


after  the  rest  of  the  brood.  Chickens  do  not  show- 
much  affection  for  each  other,  and  never  seem  to 
care  much  if  one  of  their  companions  is  hurt  ;  they 
probably  do  not  know  any  better  ;  so  they  all  ran 
off  to  some  newly  ploughed  ground  where  there 
were  plenty  of  worms,  and  left  poor  little  Lamefoot 
to  peep  and  hobble  along  by  herself. 

Henry  took  the  little  thing  up  carefully.  Lame- 
foot  peeped  and  screamed  very  loud,  when  she 
found  herself  held  fast  in  Henry's  hand,  and  strug- 
gled to  get  away,  but  she  found  that  by  struggling 
she  only  hurt  her  lame  foot  more,  and  so  she  con- 
cluded to  lie  still  and  bear  confinement  as  patient- 
ly as  she  could. 

Henry  carried  the  chicken  in  and  showed  it  to 
his  mother.  She  put  a  little  cold  cream  on  the 
chicken's  foot,  and  told  Henry  she  thought  if  he 
could  keep  her  from  running  about  for  a  few  days, 
she  would  get  as  well  as  ever.  So  Henry  made  her 
a  little  coop  in  a  shady  corner  at  the  back  of  the 
house,  and  shut  her  up  in  it. 

He  took  care  to  feed  his  little  patient  two  or  three 
times  a  day,  and  keep  her  well  supplied  with  cater- 
pillars, so  that  Lamefoot  became  quite  contented 
with  her  situation.  In  a  short  timelier  foot  be- 
came as  well  as  ever  ;  but  she  had  become  so  at- 
tached to  her  quiet  little  corner,  that  after  she  was 
able  to  run  about  everywhere,  she  always  came 


OF     ANIMALS.  131 

back  every  night  to  roost  in  the  little  coop  which 
Henry  had  made  her. 

And  he  became  so  fond  of  bis  little  pet,  that  he 
used  often  to  carry  her  out  corn,  or  grain,  or  fruit, 
whatever  he  thought  she  would  like,  and  she  would 
come  to  him  and  eat  out  of  her  hand. 

By  and  by  Lamefoot  grew  up  to  be  a  great  hen, 
and  furnished  Henry  with  a  good  supply  of  eggs, 
which  he  always  ate  with  a  better  relish  than  any 
others  ;  and  the  next  spring  she  brought  him  out 
a  fine  brood  of  chickens,  of  which  she  took  such  ex- 
cellent care  that  they  were  considered  the  finest  in 
the  farm  yard,  and  his  mother  was  very  glad  to  ac- 
cept from  Henry  a  couple  of  pair  for  her  Thanks- 
giving Chicken  Pie,  when  that  joyful  occasion 
came  round. 


132 


MERRY'S  BOOK 


THE  PANGOLIN. 


OF     ANIMALS.  133 


THE  PANGOLIN. 

WHAT  do  think  of  that,  boys  ?  Is  that  a  fish,  a 
beast,  or  a  bird  ? 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know.  I  should  think  it  was 
some  sort  of  a  dog,  with  his  forelegs  cut  off,"  says 
one. 

'•And  I  should  think,"  says  another,  "it  was  a 
young  crocodile,  or  something  belonging  to  that 
family." 

"And  I,"  said  a  third,  "I  don't  know  what  it  is. 
[  wish  you  would  tell  us." 

Well,  it  is  the  Pangolin,  sometimes  known  by  the 
name  of  the  scaly  ant-eater,  and  a  scaly  looking  ras- 
cal he  certainly  is.  He  is  a  native  of  Asia  and  Af- 
rica, and  lives  on  ants.  He  has  no  teeth,  but  is 
armed,  instead,  with  a  long,  thin  like  tongue,  which 
he  pushes  into  the  narrow  passages' of  the  anthills 
and  draws  out  his  victims  with  great  ease.  He 
does  not  seize  them,  or  impale  them,  but  his  tongue 
being  furnished  with  a  thick,  gummy  saliva,  the  in- 
sects stick  to  it,  and  are  drawn  out  easily. 

This  queer  fellow  seems  to  have  but  two  legs,  and 
so  indeed  he  has  ;  but,  a  substitute  for  forelegs, 
which  he  does  not  need,  he  has,  as  you  see,  just  un- 
der his  head,  a  fierce  array  of  nail's,  or  claws,  as  if 
bis  legs  were  drawn  in,  out  of  sight.  With  these 


134 

claws,  which  are  strong  and  sharp,  he  can  tear  open 
the  ants'  nests,  climb  trees,  and  defend  himself  from 
his  enemies. 

The  Pangolin  has  a  very  queer  way  of  rolling 

himself  up  in  a  heap,  with  his  scales  all  on  the  out- 
side, so  that  even  the  hyama  and  the  tiger  cannot 
hurt  him.  Sometimes,  when  he  has  climbed  a  tree 
in  search  of  food,  he  saves  himself  the  trouble  of 
creeping  down,  by  rolling  himself  into  a  ball,  and 
dropping  to  the  ground.  The  tail,  with  its  point- 
ed scales,  is  used  to  assist  him  in  climbing.  Some- 
times, when  going  up  a  tree  or  a  post,  he  will  hold 
on  by  his  feet  and  tail,  and  throw  his  body  back, 
as  represented  in  this  cut,  and  swing  himself  to  and 
fro,  as  if  he  enjoyed  the  exercise. 


OF     ANIMALS. 


135 


GAZELLES  AND  GAZELLE-HUNTERS. 


THE  gazelle  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  animals  im- 
aginable. Did  you  ever  see  one  ?  Probably  not. 
The  gazelle  is  not  a  native  of  our  country,  and  is 
very  seldom  brought  here.  I  saw  two  or  three  at 
the  famous  Zoological  Gardens  in  London,  and  I 
assure  you  they  furnished  me  a  great  deal  of  amuse- 
ment. 

Of  all  the  animals  in  the  world,  unless  the  poets 
deceive  us,  the  gazelle  has  the  most  beautiful  eye. 
You  recollect  what  Thomas  Moore  says  on  that 
point,  in  one  of  the  sweetest  lyrics  in  the  English 
language  : 


136  MERRY'S    BOOK 

"Oh,  ever  thus  from  childhood's  honr, 

I've  seen  my  fondest  hopes  decay; 
I  never  loved  a  tree  or  flower, 

But  'twas  the  first  to  fade  away  ; 
I  never  nursed  a  dear  gazelle, 

To  glad  me  with  its  soft  blue  eye, 
But  when  it  came  to  know  me  well, 

And  love  me,  it  was  sure  to  die." 

Passing  over  the  poet's  unhappy  mood  of  mind, 
occasioned,  probably,  as  my  good  old  uncle  Barna- 
bas used  to  say,  by  eating  rather  too  freely  of  un- 
ripe fruit,  from  the  little  I  have  seen  of  the  gazelle, 
I  don't  know  that  its  eye  is  overpraised  in  this 
stanza.  Still  I  think  I  have  seen  human  eyes  quite 
as  attractive.  They  were  to  me  at  all  events. 

The  gazelle  is  a  native  of  Asia  and  Africa.  The 
chamois  with  which  I  became  quite  familiar  while 
traveling  in  Switzerland,  though  it  greatly  resem- 
bles the  gazelle,  is  not  placed  in  the  gazelle  family. 
There  are  some  twelve  distinct  species  of  this  ani- 
mal, each  differing  but  very  little  from  the  rest. 
They  have  all  small  limbs  in  proportion  to  the  oth- 
er parts  of  the  body,  and  are  well  adapted  for  run- 
ning gracefully  and  swiftly.  They  have  a  cloven 
foot,  like  the  sheep.  Their  hair  is  short,  but  fine 
and  glossy. 

In  some  countries  where  the  gazelle  abounds, 
f,  Jcons  are  bred  to  capture  them.  The  mode  in 
which  t&e  capture  is  effected  is  cruel  in  the  extreme. 
Whenever  the  hunters  see  a  gazelle  at  the  proper 


OF     ANIMALS.  137 

distance,  they  let  the  bird  loose.  The  falcon,  with 
the  swiftness  of  an  arrow,  flies  to  the  poor  gazelle, 
which  is  unable  to  escape.  The  talons  of  the  bird 
are  fixed,  one  in  the  gazelle's  cheek,  the  other  in 
its  throat ;  and  the  innocent  creature  is  so  faint, 
from  the  loss  of  blood,  that  its  pursuers  overtake 
it  and  kill  it. 

Sometimes,  too,  the  gazelle  is  hunted  by  means 
of  the  ounce,  a  very  savage  animal,  which,  however, 
can  be  tamed  so  as  to  be  perfectly  docile.  The 
ounce  sits  on  the  horse  with  the  hunter,  and  re- 
mains there,  with  the  composure  of  a  cat  in  the 
chimney  corner,  until  a  gazelle  is  pointed  out.  Then 
the  fierce  animal  creeps  along  carefully,  without 
making  any  noise,  until  he  comes  within  a  few  feet 
of  his  prey,  when  he  pounces  upon  him,  and  de- 
stroys him  almost  instantly. 

There  is  another  way  in  which  the  gazelle  is 
caught.  A  tame  gazelle  is  bred  for  the  purpose, 
which  is  taught  to  join  a  herd  of  wild  ones,  when- 
ever it  perceives  them.  The  hunter  places  a  noose 
around  the  horns  of  the  tame  gazelle  in  such  a  man- 
ner that,  when  he  comes  in  contact  with  the  others 
(for  they  invariably  fight  at  such  a  meeting,)  the 
horns  of  the  wild  gazelle  will  be  entangled  in  the 
noose  on  the  head  of  the  tame  one,  in  which  case 
the  two  fighters  can't  separate  themselves. 

Another  mode  of  catching  the  gazelle  is  by  means 


138  MERRY'S    BOOK 

of  the  lasso.  The  natives  surprise  the  gazelles  in 
a  thicket,  arid  then  dexterously  throw  the  lasso  so 
that  it  is  wound  around  the  legs  of  the  animal. 

You  see  that  in  all  these  different  ways  of  cap- 
turing the  gazelle  there  is  nothing  that  looks  very 
'ike  honorable  warfare.  If  people  should  adopt  the 
same  methods  of  hunting  the  gazelle  that  are  re- 
sorted to  by  the  chamois-hunter,  the  gazelle  might 
laugh  at  all  the  military  tactics  of  his  enemies. 
Give  the  gazelle  a  fair  field,  and  he  would  most 
certainly  win  the  day.  His  legs  would  be  his  sal- 
vation. 


OP    ANIMALS. 


139 


THE  ELEPHANT. 


THE  elephant  is  the  most  sagacious  and  intelli- 
gent of  all  quadrupeds,  and  the  nearest  in  its 
approach  to  human  reason.  Its  enormous  size  and 
immense  strength  render  it  a  formidable  enemy 
when  provoked,  but  even  in  a  wild  state  it  is  not 
ferocious.  It  is  easily  tamed  by  kindness  and  ca- 
resses, and  when  properly  treated  it  is  obedient, 
grateful,  and  discriminating  to  a  degree  that  proves 
it  to  be  endued  with  a  portion  of  something  very 
similar  to  rationality.  Elephants,  even  when  wild, 
evince  signs  of  great  ingenuity,  forethought  and 


140  MERRY'S   BOOK 

memory  ;  and  show  much  regard  and  considera- 
tion for  each  other.  They  generally  go  in  herds  or 
companies ;  sometimes  carrying  in  their  trunks 
branches  of  trees  which  they  use  as  fans  to  cool 
themselves.  If  one  of  them  gets  hurt,  the  others 
take  care  of  him,  bringing  him  food  and  nursing 
him  till  he  recovers.  In  crossing  a  river  the  old 
ones  swim  over  first,  to  seek  a  proper  landing  place  : 
and  when  safe  on  the  other  side,  give  a  signal,  by 
a  sort  of  cry  or  shout,  for  the  young  ones  to  follow. 
The  little  elephants  then  venture  across,  support- 
ing each  other  by  interlacing  or  locking  their  trunks 
together.  The  old  elephants  sometimes  carry  the 
very  small  ones  laid  high  across  their  tusks,  twin- 
ing their  trunks  round  them  to  prevent  their  fall- 
ing. If  they  find  a  dead  elephant  in  the  woods, 
they  stop  and  cover  him  with  grass  or  with  the 
boughs  of  trees. 

The  elephant  will  eat  almost  every  sort  of  vege- 
table food,  and  is  extravagantly  fond  of  confection- 
ery, but  abhors  flesh  and  fish.  I  have  seen  them 
drink  wine  and  porter,  taking  the  bottle  in  their 
trunk,  which  they  bend  under  to  the  mouth,  hold- 
ing back  the  head  so  as  to  let  the  liquor  run  down 
their  throat.  In  India  the  tame  elephant  is  used 
for  various  services.  He  will  perform  more  work, 
and  carry  or  draw  greater  burdens,  than  six  horses : 
but  he  must  be  well  fed  and  properly  taken  care 
of.  It  is  said  that  he  will  eat  a  hundred  pounds  of 


OP     ANIMALS.  141 

rice  in  a  day,  drinking  forty  gallons  of  water  :  but 
his  diet  should  be  varied  with  fruit  and  herbage, 
and  he  must  be  led  to  the  river  twice  a  day  for  the 
purpose  of  bathing. 

There  is  a  story  of  an  elephant  becoming  so  fond 
of  his  keeper's  child  that  he  could  scarcely  bear  to 
have  it  taken  out  of  his  sight.  At  last  he  would 
not  eat  his  food  unless  the  infant's  cradle  was  placed 
between  his  feet,  and  as  soon  as  this  was  done  he 
ate  heartily.  If  the  child  awoke  and  cried,  the 
elephant  frequently  put  it  to  sleep  again  by  rocking 
the  cradle  with  his  trunk. 

The  Duke  of  Devonshire  had  a  very  fine  elephant 
which  he  kept  in  the  grounds  of  his  villa  at  Chis- 
wick,  near  London,  in  a  handsome  stone  building  of 
one  story,  erected  purposely  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  animal,  who  went  in  and  out  on  a  slanting 
platform  or  inclined  plane.  Some  relatives  of  mine 
saw  it  there  a  few  years  since.  The  elephant  was 
walking  about  under  the  trees.  He  seemed  very 
proud  of  a  rich  mantle  or  pall  of  blue  and  crimson 
which  was  thrown  over  him.  At  the  desire  of  his 
keeper  he  took  it  off  with  his  trunk,  spread  it  even- 
ly on  the  grass,  carefully  smoothing  every  wrinkle, 
then  folded  it  square  and  neatly,  and  laying  it  on 
his  back  carried  it  into  his  house  and  put  it  away. 

A  gentleman  who  came  from  India  in  the  ship 
which  brought  the  elephant  Caroline,  told  me  that 
the  tediousness  of  the  long  passage  was  much  re- 


142  MERRY'S    BOOK 

lieved  by  the  interest  they  all  took  in  this  animal, 
and  the  constant  amusement  she  afforded  them. 
There  was  a  great  friendship  between  her  and  a 
dog  who  stayed  about  her  almost  continually.  At 
the  commencement  of  the  voyage  she  was  provided 
with  a  covering,  lest  she  should  be  chilled  by  the 
sea  air.  But  being  still  in  the  warm  climate  of  the 
torrid  zone,  she  did  not  then  feel  the  want  of  cloth- 
ing, and  immediately  stripped  off  the  garment  and 
threw  it  aside.  Afterwards,  when  they  proceeded 
into  a  cooler  latitude,  and  the  covering  was  again 
put  on,  she  seemed  very  glad  to  have  it,  and  wore 
it  without  any  further  objection.  At  the  termina- 
tion of  the  voyage,  the  vessel  encountered  a  vio- 
lent storm,  and  was  wrecked  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Delaware.  The  crew  and  passengers  saved  them- 
selves in  the  long-boat.  When  they  reached  the 
shore,  they  grieved  exceedingly  at  having  left  the 
poor  elephant  in  the  ship  abandoned  to  her  fate. 
Some  of  the  men  volunteered  to  go  back  for  her  in 
the  boat,  notwithstanding  the  terrors  of  the  storm 
and  the  imminent  risk  of  their  own  lives.  When 
they  reached  the  ship  ;  they  found  the  elephant  in 
great  tribulation  ;  but  they  could  not  prevail  on 
her  to  come  away  ^  ith  them  till  she  had  provided 
for  the  safety  of  her  friend  the  dog,  by  taking  him 
in  her  trunk  and  handing  him  down  to  the  boat. 
This  done,  she  gladly  allowed  the  men  to  make  her 
fast  by  a  rope  to  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  thus 


OF     ANIMALS.  148 

she  swam  after  them  to  the  shore.  The  elephant 
Caroline  was  afterwards  exhibited  in  Philadelphia. 

Once,  when  she  was  thrusting  her  trunk  about 
•miong  the  spectators  in  search  of  something  good 
to  eat,  a  young  man  mischievously  gave  her  some 
tobacco,  which  the  elephant  (not  knowing  what  it 
was)  conveyed  immediately  to  her  mouth,  but  in- 
stantly put  it  out  again  with  signs  of  the  greatest 
disgust,  in  which  she  showed  her  sense.  A  few 
days  afterwards,  the  same  young  man  was  there 
again.  The  elephant  directly  remembered  him, 
and  singling  him  out  from  the  crowd,  put  forth  her 
trunk,  and  seizing  the  offender's  hand,  squeezed 
and  pinched  it  so  hard  as  to  make  him  cry  out 
with  pain. 

The  tusks  of  the  elephant  supply  the  whole  world 
with  ivory.  It  is  valued  for  its  whiteness,  hard- 
ness, and  the  fine  polish  of  which  it  is  susceptible. 
There  is  a  small  insect,  invisible  to  the  naked  eye, 
which  sometimes  gets  into  articles  made  of  ivory 
and  eats  holes  in  them  in  a  very  ingenious  manner. 
Miss  Leslie  says  :  "  1  have  a  fan  entirely  of  ivory, 
which  is  almost  as  thin  as  the  best  white  paper, 
and  is  carved  all  over  in  a  sort  of  delicate  lace  or 
open  work.  It  was  made  for  me  in  Canton,  when 
a  girl,  and  has  in  the  centre  the  initials  of  my  name 
elegantly  cut.  In  a  few  years  the  unseen  worm 
commenced  his  depredations,  and  my  beautiful  fan 
is  now  eaten  in  small  square  holes  of  so  regular  a 


144  MERRY'S   BOOK. 

form*  tha/  they  look  as  if  made  purposely  with  an 
instrument.  One  of  my  sisters  had  a  fine  set  of 
ivory  chessmen  that  came  from  China,  and  after  a 
while  they  were  found  perforated  with  §mall  holes 
not  larger  than  if  pierced  by  a  small  needle.  The 
chess-king  was  drilled  completely  through,  from  his 
crown  down  to  his  feet.  It  is  probably  a  similar 
invisible  insect  that  eats  off  the  points  of  camel's 
hair  pencils  as  they  lie  in  the  boxes  at  the  station- 
er's, making  them  square  at  the  ends,  and  there- 
fore useless." 

The  spirited  engraving  represents  a  scene  which 
took  place  in  India,  at  a  hunting-party,  and  is  re- 
lated by  Captain  Mundy,  in  his  "  Sketches  in  In- 
dia," in  the  following  narrative  : 

<k  A  gentleman  of  our  party  had,  perhaps,  as  per- 
ilous an  adventure  with  a  lion  as  any  one  ;  he  hav- 
ing enjo)Ted  the  singular  distinction  of  laying  for 
some  moments  in  the  very  clutches  of  the  royal 
quadruped.  Though  I  have  heard  him  recount  the 
incident  more  than  once,  and  have  myself  sketched 
the  •  scene,  yet  I  am  not  sure  that  I  relate  it  cor- 
rectly. The  main  feature,  however  of  the  anec- 
dote, affording  so  striking  an  illustration  of  the 
sagacity  of  the  elephant,  may  be  strictly  depended 
upon. 

"  A  lion  charged  my  friend's  elephant,  and  he, 
having  wounded  him,  was  in  the  act  of  leaning  for- 
ward in  order  to  fire  another  shot,  when  the  how- 


OP     ANIMA  LS 


146 

dah  (which  is  the  box  upon  the  elephant's  back) 
suddenly  gave  way,  and  he  was  thrown  over  the 
head  of  the  elephant  into  the  very  jaws  of  the 
furious  beast.  The  lion,  though  severely  hurt, 
immediately  seized  him,  and  would  shortly  have 
put  a  fatal  termination  to  the  conflict,  had  not  the 
elephant,  urged  by  his  mahout,  or  driver,  stepped 
forward,  though  greatly valarmed,  and  grasping  in 
her  trunk  the  top  of  a  young  tree,  bent  it  down 
across  the  back  and  loins  of  the  lion,  and  thus 
forced  the  tortured  animal  to  quit  his  hold  !  My 
friend's  life  was  thus  saved,  but  his  arm  was  broken 
in  two  places,  and  he  was  severely  clawed  on  the 
breast  and  shoulders." 


OF     ANIMALS. 


147 


THE  TRAVELED  MONKEY. 


"Oft  has  it  been  my  lot"  to  meet, 
Men  of  small  wit,  and  large  conceit, 
Who,  having  visited,  perchance, 
The  shores  of  Egypt,  Greece  or  France, 
Having  seen  the  Pyramids,  or  sat 
'Neath  Sinai's  shade,  or  Ararat, 
Mounted  St.  Peter's  or  St.  Paul's, 
Or  bathed  benltth  Niagara  Falls — 


148  MERRY'S    BOOK 

Deem  their  poor  stock  of  knowledge  worth, 
The  hoarded  wisdom  of  the  earth, 
And  their  mere  dictum  worthy  quite, 
To  set  all  knotty  questions  right. 

IN  the  central  province,  Chang  Fou  Tse,  of  the 
Flowery  Kingdom  of  the  Sun,  there  was  an  ex- 
tensive forest,  remarkable  for  the  magnitude  and 
beauty  of  its  trees,  the  variety  and  richness  of  its 
flowers,  and  the  abundance  of  its  delicious  fruits. 
But  it  was  still  more  remarkable  as  the  residence 
of  a  tribe  of  monkeys,  the  most  sagaciously  human, 
the  most  provokingly  civilized,  of  any  that  have 
ever  been  known  to  caricature  the  ways  of  man. 
So  exceedingly  apt  were  they  in  learning  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  their  more  intelligent  neigh- 
bors, that  it  was  commonly  remarked,  that  a  more 
vain,  self-conceited,  selfish  race  of  thieves,  pick- 
pockets, and  highway  robbers  was  never  known. 
From  the  universal  prevalence  of  these  elements 
of  moral  depravity  among  them,  it  was  currently 
believed  by  the  philosophers  of  that  age,  that  this 
was  the  identical  family  from  which  Lord  Mombo- 
do,  and  others  of  the  same  school,  traced  their  gen 
ealogy  direct. 

If  this  could  be  satisfactorily  proved,  either  by 
authentic  documents,  or  unquestionable  tradition, 
it  would  be  a  fact  of  great  interest  and  importance 
to  the  scientific  world,  as  it  would  afford  a  natural 
and  easy  explanation  of  certain  psychological  phe- 


OF     ANIMALS.  149 

nomena,  always  exhibited  in  that  family  of  philos- 
ophers. I  refer  to  their  singular  talent  for  dispu- 
ting everything  that  is  certain,  and  believing  eve- 
rything that  is  doubtful.  Nature  has  a  less  decided 
and  unchangeable  abhorrence  of  a  vacuum,  than 
these  men  of  the  simplicity  and  directness  of  truth. 
They  will  grope  through  weary  volumes  of  misty 
speculation,  and  impalpable  conjecture  in  quest  of 
the  "vestiges  of  creation,"  which,  like  foot-prints 
in  the  solid  rock,  are  graven  on  every  page  of  the 
volume  of  nature,  and  illustrated,  in  characters  of 
light,  in  the  book  of  revelation. 

The  tribe  that  occupied  this  beautiful  forest  of 
Chang  Fou  Tse,  was  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Hing-po-qua  tribe.  They  were  large  and  well  form- 
ed, with  features  more  regular  than  others  of  their 
race.  They  were  cleanly  and  social  in  their  habits 
as  well- as  exceedingly  loquacious  and  communica- 
tive. Such  a  set  of  chatterers,  babblers,  and  boast- 
ers, the  sun,  in  his  circuit,  never  looked  upon.  The 
imitative  -faculty,  so  strongly  developed  in  the 
whole  race,  was  pre-eminent  in  them,  and  was  dis- 
tinguished by  a  degree  of  refinement  and  taste  else- 
where unknown.  They  were  rarely  caught  doing 
anything  ungenteel,  or  ungraceful,  according  to  the 
paradoxical  terms.  On  this  account,  they  were  of- 
ten taken  to  the  great  cities  of  the  east,  and  some- 
times sent  to  distant  lands,  to  be  exhibited  for  the 
admiration  of  the  curious. 


150 

It  happened  in  the  year  —  that  one  of  the  Hing- 
po-quas  became  the  prisoner  of  Henry  Cabotr  a 
European  merchant  of  great  celebrity,  who  was  ac- 
quainted with  nearly  all  the  countries  of  the  globe 
and  visited  many  different  nations  every  year.  The 
animal  was  tall  and  finely  formedr  with  a  coat  so 
soft,  smooth,  and  glossy,  that  his  master  gave  him 
the  name  of  Joseph  Silk,  to  which,  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  his  remarkable  gifts  as  a  traveler,  was  add- 
ed the  surname  of  Munchausen.  He  accompanied 
his  master  wherever  he  went,  and  was  received 
with  marks  of  distinguished  consideration,  even  in 
the  most  fashionable  circles  of  society,  being  allow- 
ed the  privilege  of  amusing  gentlemen  and  ladies, 
by  mimicking  their  movements,  and  caricaturing 
their  looks. 

On  one  occasion,  being  on  a  visit  to  the  court  of 
the  queen  of  England,  he  was  greatly  delighted 
with  the  appearance  of  a  very  small  page,  in  the 
service  of  one  of  the  ladies  of  honor.  He  was  quite 
a  dwarf,  and  a  good  match,  in  point  of  size,  for  the 
monkey.  Silky  Joe,  as  he  was  more  generally  call- 
ed, annoyed  this  miniature  page  exceedingly,  by 
following  him  at  all  times,  and  acting  over,  with 
the  most  ludicrous  precision,  all  his  attitudes  and 
motions.  Happening,  one  day,  to  fine!  the  door  of 
trie  page's  room  open,  as  he  was  passing,  the  mon- 
key stole  in,  and  helped  himself  to  a  complete  suit 
of  court  dress,  of  the  richest  materials,  and  of  the 


OP      ANIMALS.  151 

gay  and  showy  colors  so  much  admired  among  the 
fashionables  of  that  period.  In  attempting  to  ar- 
ray himself,  he  made  some  awkward  mistakes. 
Having  satisfied  himself,  however,  that  all  was 
right,  he  hastened  to  take  his  place  as  the  shadow 
of  the  page.  The  court  was  in  an  uproar  of  laugh- 
ter. The  page  was  highly  incensed,  and  demanded 
satisfaction  for  the  insult,  vowing  he  would  never 
put  on  the  dress  again,  after  it  had  been  so  dishon- 
ored. He  was  soon  pacified  with  presents,  and  Mr. 
Cabot  purchased  the  dress  at  a  high  price.  In- 
duced, by  this  incident,  to  promote  Joseph  Silk  to 
the  rank  of  a  page  in  his  own  retinue,  he  also  pur- 
chased for  him  a  variety  of  other  costly  dresses, 
after  the  most  approved  costumes  of  the  day.  He 
had  his  head  powdered  according  to  the  prevailing 
custom,  and  his  face  bleached,  by  a  liberal  use  of 
depilatory  appliances  and  pearl  white. 

Joseph  was  thus  a  frequent  visitor  at  court,  and 
in  many  of  the  palaces  of  the  nobility.  He  was  in 
universal  favor,  especially  with  the  ladies,  for  whose 
attentions  he  always  showed  a  marked  preference. 
His  manners  were  graceful  arid  courteous  in  the 
extreme.  He  could  enter  a  room  with  the  air  of 
an  accomplished  dancing-master.  He  flourished  a 
cane,  an  eye-glass,  a  pocket  handkerchief,  or  a  snuff 
box,  with  the  grace  of  a  courtier.  In  fine,  he  was 
a  model  of  an  accomplished  beau,  to  whom  brains 
are  superfluous.  As  to  his  tail  that  was  no  more 


152 

in  the  way  than  a  Chinaman's  queue.  It  was  im- 
mediately adopted  as  a  fashion,  both  by  gentlemen 
and  ladies,  the  former  attaching  huge  pig-tails  to 
their  heads  behind,  and  the  latter  making  long  trails 
to  their  dresses. 

After  several  years  of  absence,  Mr.  Cabot  return- 
ed to  the  Flowery  Kingdom  of  the  Sun,  and  visited 
the  province  of  Chang  Fou  Tse.  Joseph  Silk  Mun- 
chausen  accompanied  him,  having  become  learned 
in  the  manners  and  customs  of  men,  and  in  the  airs 
and  arts  of  travelers.  Arrived  within  the  precincts 
of  his  native  province,  he  was  seized  with  a  strong 
yearning  for  the  home  of  his  youth,  and  an  invin- 
cible desire  to  astonish  the  natives,  by  showing  off 
his  finery  and  his  acquirements.  Arraying  himself 
with  great  care  in  his  choicest  habiliments,  as  he 
would  have  done  for  a  presentation  at  court,  he 
seized  an  opportunity  when  Mr.  Cabot  was  too  much 
occupied  to  notice  his  movement,  and  stole  away, 
with  rapid  strides,  to  the  forest.  Flourishing  his 
cane  with  vigor,  he  strode  down  the  long  avenues, 
and  through  the  favorite  haunts  of  his  childhood, 
without  encountering  one  familiar  face.  Supposing 
him  to  be  a  human  monster,  "an  outside  barbarian," 
the  Hing-po-quas,  his  cousins  and  neighbors,  hid 
themselves  from  him,  as  from  an  enemy.  At  length 
one  of  them,  peeping  after  him,  from  a  hollow  tree, 
discovered  his  tail,  half  concealed  by  the  ample 
flaps  of  his  coat.  Stealing  noiselessly  out,  he  seized 


OF     ANIMALS.  153 

the  obtruding  member,  and  gave  it  a  violent  pull, 
as  if  to  test  its  genuineness,  and  then,  with  a  pro- 
yoking  chuckle,  flew  away  into  the  tree.  It  was 
answered  by  a  hundred  chattering  voices  in  all  its 
branches.  Gentleman  Joe,  though  sorely  offended 
by  the  indignity  offered  to  his  person,  instinctively 
replied  to  the  salutation,  wheeling  suddenly  about, 
and  squinting  scornfully  through  his  eye-glass,  to 
see  if  he  could  detect  the  offender.  The  monkeys, 
shrewd  at  all  sorts  of  tricks  themselves,  readily  sus- 
pected some  trick  on  this  occasion.  They  there- 
fore, kept  a  respectful  distance,  chattering  to  each 
other,  and  making  all  manner  of  grimaces  at  the 
intruder,  as,  with  the  most  affected  airs  imaginable, 
he  strutted  about,  sometimes  brandishing  his  cane 
in  defiance,  and  sometimes  threatening  to  chastise 
them  for  their  insolence.  He  soon  became  cool, 
however,  and,  revealing  his  true  character,  invited 
them  to  a  parley. 

One  by  one  the  monkeys  gathered  around  the 
stranger,  till  he  had  a  large  audience,  to  whom  he 
made  himself  known  as  a  friend  and  relative,  and 
very  condescendingly  related  the  marvels  he  had 
seen  in  distant  lands.  Doubt  it  not,  kind  reader — 
Rousseau  has  settled  that  point  long  ago — that  an- 
imals talk.  The  parrot,  you  know,  is  quite  a  lin- 
guist, and  talks  Spanish,  French,  Dutch,  German, 
and  whatever  you  may  please  to  teach  him.  Other 
animals  have  languages  of  their  own,  which  have 


154 

never  been  reduced  to  writing.  And,  in  this  re- 
spect, I  do  not  see  why  the  brute  is  not  entitled  to 
the  pre-eminence,  since  many  of  them  learn  to  un- 
derstand, and  some  of  them  to  speak,  the  various 
human  tongues  ;  while  no  man  has  yet  been  able 
to  learn  any  of  their  dialects.  This  question  I 
leave  to  the  philosophers,  and  beg  they  will  consid- 
er whether  it  is  does  not  intimate,  if  not  prove 
clearly,  that  we,  in  our  arrogance  and  self-conceit, 
have  mistaken  the  direction  of  the  scale  of  being, 
when  we  have  placed  man  at  the  head  of  it. 

Joseph  Silk  Munchausen  was  a  plausible,  insinu- 
ating monkey,  easy  of  address,  and  ready  of  speech 
on  all  occasions.  He  was  now  especially  desirous 
to  make  a  grand  impression.  He  had  a  remarkably 
happy  faculty  of  showing  up  all  he  had  seen,  and 
giving  it  the  coloring  of  his  own  fancy.  Some  of 
his  hearers  were  as  credulous  as  the  disciples  of 
Swedenborg,  Mesmer,  or  Mormon  ;  though  there 
were  many  unbelieving  wags  among  them,  who 
made  the  most  quizzical  grimaces,  as  he  dilated 
upon  some  of  the  impossible  marvels  of  other  lands. 
Monkeys  are  associationists.  They  have  all  things 
common.  And  when  Joseph  told  them  that  the 
people  of  England  allowed  a  few  of  their  number 
to  call  the  whole  land  their  own,  and  to  claim  even 
the  forests,  so  that  their  neighbors  and  brothers 
could  not  so  much  as  walk  under  their  shade,  they 
laughed  outright  at  their  folly.  "  It  is  even  worse 


OP      ANIMALS.  155 

than  that,"  said  he,  "  there  are  a  few  who  have 
every  year  as  much  food  as  would  serve  ten  thou- 
sand, which  they  keep  all  for  themselves,  while  the 
rest  die  by  hundreds  for  want  of  a  root,  or  a  nut." 

"  Oh  !  whaf  a  whopper,"  said  one,  "  don't  I  know 
that  the  hungry  would  take  it  by  force,  if  it  were 
not  given  them  ?" 

"  If  they  should  do  that,  they  would  be  hung," 
replied  the  traveler.  "  In  truth  it  is  only  a  grand 
contrivance  they  have  for  getting  rid  of  that  mean 
sort  of  people,  that  have  not  wit  enough  to  make 
themselves  rich  by  wholesale  robbery.  They  are 
not  allowed  to  have  anything  of  their  own.  They 
must  either  starve  or  steal,  and  if  they  steal  they 
are  hung." 

"  Now  we  have  caught  you,"  said  a  grave  old  fel- 
low, who  had  not  spoken  hitherto.  "  You  say  that 
they  hang  those  who  steal.  How  could  these  rich 
ones  get  so  much  land,  and  claim  all  the  forests, 
without  stealing  it  ?  It  was  not  always  thus.  So 
they  should  all  be  hung,  and  the  land  be  common 
again." 

"  You  know  nothing  about  human  philosophy," 
replied  Joseph  Silk.  "  He  who  steals  a  morsel,  to 
save  himself  from  starving,  is  a  villain,  and  must  be 
put  to  death.  But  he  who  steals  a  whole  kingdom 
is  a  hero,  and  men  worship  and  serve  him,  as  a 
kind  of  god." 

A  sort  of  suppressed  titter,  expressive  of  extreme 


156  MERRY'S    BOOK 

incredulity,  was  all  the  reply  which  the  audience 
deigned  to  give  to  what  they  conceived  to  be  a 
mere  fiction  of  the  speaker's  fancy.  He  went  on, 
however,  in  the  same  strain,  slandering  the  poor 
humans  with  such  malicious  inventions  as  these  : — 
"  Let  me  tell  you,  moreover,  that  if  any  man  kills 
another,  the  law  is  that  he  shall  be  put  to  death. 
But  if  he  kills  a  hundred  or  a  thousand,  he  is  honor- 
ed and  rewarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  benefactors 
of  the  race." 

"  Caught  again  in  your  own  trap,"  replied  the 
philosopher — "  for  he  who  had  killed  one  in  a  pas- 
sion, would  only  have  to  kill  a  hundred  more,  and 
that  would  save  him,  and  make  a  great  man  of  him 
at  once." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  your  face,  cousin  ?" 
asked  one,  "  that  it  is  turned  so  pale  and  smooth? 
You  have  lost  entirely  that  fine  ebon  complexion 
and  hairy  comeliness  that  we  Hing-po-quas  prize 
so  much." 

"  No,  no,"  replied  the  traveler,  "  white  is  the 
favorite  color  among  men.  So  much  so,  that,  in 
some  places,  it  is  deemed  a  crime  to  have  a  black 
skin." 

"  Impossible  !"  interrupted  the  sage  before  men- 
tioned. "  However,  it  is  as  well  as  could  be  ex- 
pected from  ourang-outangs  without  tails.  I  see 
who  it  is.  The  same  judgment  of  heaven  which 
deprived  them  of  that  fundamental  ornament,  de- 


OP     ANIMALS.  157 

prived  them  also  of  their  powers  of  reasoning. 
"We  must  pity  them,  for  they  do  not  know  any  bet- 
ter." 

"  Tell  that  story  to  the  Chop-picqs,"  cried  one  of 
the  doubters,  "  Hing-poquas  are  not  so  easily  im- 
posed upon." 

"  'Tis  true,"  reiterated  Munchausen,  "  true,  every 
word  of  it.  I  have  seen  it  with  these  eyes.  The 
whites  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  blacks,  but  to 
trample  on  them.  They  must  not  sit  together,  nor 
walk  together,  nor  even  pray  together.  I  should 
never  have  seen  any  good  society,  much  less  should 
I  have  been  a  general  favorite  there,  if  I  had  kept 
my  face  black.  Men  dress  their  bodies  in  black, 
and  think  nothing  so  fine  as  black  eyes  and  black 
hair  ;  but  to  have  a  black  face  is  a  sin." 

With  an  air  of  perfect  satisfaction,  Joseph  no- 
ticed the  indications  of  surprise  and  disgust  among 
the  auditors  ;  for,  like  most  other  travelers,  he 
deemed  it  greater  honor  to  himself,  to  excite  the 
wonder  and  tax  the  credulity  of  his  hearers,  than 
to  secure  their  confidence  as  a  truth-telling  and 
honest  observer.  He,  accordingly,  went  on  with 
his  story,  always  taking  care  to  make  his  human 
•brethren  appear  as  ridiculous  as  possible.  Among 
other  incredible  things,  he  had  the  audacity  to  de- 
clare, that  a  large  majority  of  mankind  were  not  at 
all  scrupulous  of  right — that  they  practised  lying, 
and  thieving,  and  all  kinds  of  injustice — that  the 


158 

weak  were  everywhere  oppressed  by  the  strong, 
the  simple  overreached  by  the  shrewd,  and  the  ig- 
norant imposed  upon  by  the  shallow  pretenders  to 
knowledge.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  state,  as  a 
veracious  historical  fact,  that  the  larger  portion  of 
mankind,  of  all  ranks,  were  in  the  daily  habit  of 
drinking  various  kinds  of  slow  poisons,  by  which 
they  were  often  made  sick,  and  by  which  vast  mul- 
titudes were  annually  killed.  "  It  was  not  uncom- 
mon," he  said,  "  for  companies  of  them  to  meet  to- 
gether, with  a  view  to  see  who  could  drink  most  of 
such  poisons.  It  always  made  them  foolish,  and 
sometimes  drove  them  mad,  but  still  it  is  every- 
where regarded  as  a  sovereign  remedy  for  all  the 
diseases  it  produces." 

"  That  comes  of  their  losing  their  tails,"  said  the 
philosopher. 

"  There  is  another  custom,"  continued  this  vera- 
cious reporter,  "  which  is  almost  too  vulgar  for  a 
refined  Hing-poqua  to  believe  ;  but,  I  assure  you, 
on  the  word  of  a  traveler,  that  it  is,  in  a  sense, 
omniprevalent.  They  have  a  certain  kind  of  very 
dry,  nauseous  dust,  which  they  are  fond  of,  and 
which  they  always  eat  with  their  noses,  though  it 
almost  invariably  throws  them  into  sudden  and 
painful  convulsions." 

A  general  shout  followed  this  burst  of  original 
wit,  and  the  old  woods  rang  again  with  the  mirth 
it  occasioned.  Nothing  abashed,  the  modest  speaker 


OF     ANIMALS.  159 

waited  a  moment  till  the  uproar  had  subsided,  and 
then  gravely  re-assured  his  hearers  that  it  was 
even  so  as  he  had  said.  "  Why,"  said-he,  "  every 
gentleman  carries  a  box  of  this  singular  powder  in 
his  pocket,  offering  it  often  to  his  friends,  by  way 
of  salutation,  as  he  meets  them.  And  you  will 
sometimes  see  a  dozen  of  them  together  cramming 
their  noses  Avith  it,  and  then,  when  the  convulsions 
come  on,  shouting  at  each  other,  as  if  they  were 
madj  and  shedding  tears,  as  if  the  operation  were 
highly  painful." 

No  sooner  was  this  said,  than  one  of  those  unbe- 
lieving wags  before-mentioned,  thrust  his  hand 
into  his  cousin's  pocket,  to  test  the  truth  of  his 
statement.  To  his  surprise,  he  there  discovered  a 
small  black  shining  box,  with  curious  figures  on  the 
top  and  sides.  He  opened  it,  and  found  it  nearly 
filled  with  a  coarse,  brown  powder  which,  had  a 
very  disagreeable  smell.  Determined  to  try  its 
quality,  he  took  a  handful  of  it,  and  crammed  it 
into  his  nose,  in  doing  which  he  was  unfortunately 
not  careful  to  keep  it  out  of  his  eyes.  Immediate- 
ly his  head  seemed  in  a  strange  commotion.  His 
eyes  contracted,  his  nerves  tingled,  and  he  seemed 
about  to  swoon  •  when,  suddenly  and  involuntarily, 
he  uttered  a  convulsive  shriek,  that  alarmed  the 
whole  audience,  and  sent  them  scampering  away. 
The  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks,  and  he  was  left 
in  that  foolish  predicament,  that  he  did  not  know 


160  MERRY'S    BOOK 

whether  he  was  laughing  or  crying,  whether  he 
was  hurt  or  pleased.  The  monkeys  soon  recovered 
from  their  fright,  and  returned  to  inquire  what  was 
the  matter.  They  found  the  sufferer  recovering 
from  his  agony,  the  tears  streaming  down  his  face, 
and  mingling  with  the  dirty  brown  powder,  which 
made  him  appear  disgustingly  filthy.  He  was 
obliged  to  go  to  the  brook  and  wash  himself,  and  it 
was  long  before  his  eyes  ceased  to  smart,  and  his 
nose  to  tingle  under  this  unnatural  stimulus. 

This  experiment  Was  not  without  its  advantages 
to  the  traveler.  It  gained  him  credit  among  his 
hearers,  by  confirming  a  part  of  his  tale,  which  led 
them  to  suppose  that  the  whole  might  be  true. — 
He  therefore  went  on  boldly  to  say,  that  this  sin- 
gular  powder  was  made  of  the  dried  leaves  of  a 
plant,  the  various  uses  of  which  constituted  some 
of  the  chief  pleasures  of  man.  Sometimes  they  roll 
up  the  leaves  into  a  cylindrical  shape,  and  then, 
setting  fire  to  one  end  of  the  tube,  draw  the  smoke 
into  their  mouths,  and  then  puff  it  out  again,  till  it 
is  all  consumed.  Sometimes  without  setting  fire  to 
it,  they  put  a  large  roll  of  it  into  their  mouths,  and 
chew  it.  This  mingling  with  the  fluids  of  the 
mouth,  makes  a  very  dirty  mixture,  which  they  are 
so  eager  to  get  rid  of,  that  they  do  not  scruple  to 
spue  it  upon  every  object  that  is  near  them.  It 
often  runs  down  upon  their  faces,  and  clothes  ;  and 
I  am  compelled  to  say,  that,  in  spite  of  all  their 


OF     ANIMALS.  161 

pride  and  self-esteem,  men  are  more  filthy  and  vul- 
gar in  many  of  their  habits,  than  any  of  the  animals 
I  have  seen." 

"  What  could  you  expect  of  animals  without 
tails  ?"  asked  the  old  sage,  with  the  satisfied  air  of 
a  victor.  "  I  tell  you,  my  friends,  it  is  in  this  beau- 
tiful extension  of  the  spinal  column  that  the  intel- 
lect resides.  Therefore  it  is  placed  at  the  base  of 
the  column  that  it  may  sustain  the  whole.  There- 
fore it  is  made  ornamental,  that  it  may  attract  the 
eye,  and  command  the  admiration  of  all.  Therefore 
it  is  made  flexible  and  pliant,  that  it  may  reach  to 
every  part  of  the  body.  And  therefore,  when  that 
is  gone,  the  poor  unfortunate  animal  is  reduced  in 
the  scale  of  being.  He  becomes  a  mere  animal, 
and  is  like  a  ship  without  a  rudder." 

"  True,   true,"  interrupted  Joseph,   sneeringly, 
"  but  what  do  you  know  about  ships  ?' 
*    The  philosopher  deigned  no  reply,  and  there  was 
a  momentary  pause. 

"  How  it  is,"  asked  one  of  the  company,  "  that 
your  legs  are  so  oddly  shaped  ?  They  are  round 
and  smooth  as  the  young  willow  twig." 

*•  Oh  !  that  is  the  fashion  where  I  have  been.  In 
Europe,  they  have  a  class  of  men  called  tailors,  who 
are  constantly  employed  contriving  means  to  cover 
up  and  hide  the  deformities  of  the  human  figure, 
though  they  sometimes  make  them  more  deformed 
than  they  were  by  nature.  They  were  first  em- 


162 

ployed  in  devising  various  kinds  of  long  skirts,  as 
substitutes  for  tails,  and  this  gave  them  the  name 
which  they  are  known  by  to  this  day.  A  tailor  is 
the  most  important  man  in  human  society.  He 
holds  all  the  rest  in  absolute  subjection.  And, 
while  a  king  rules  over  one  country  only,  a  tailor 
rules  over  many — for  all  men  must  necessarily  wear 
the  same  kind  of  clothes,  though  they  live  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  world,  and  speak  different  langu- 
ages, and  are  at  deadly  enmity  among  themselves. 
These  tailors  change  the  fashion  as  often  as  they 
please,  and  all  men,  everywhere,  are  obliged  to 
adopt  it.  If  they  neglect,  or  are  not  able  to  do  so, 
they  are  not  considered  worthy  of  good  society. 
When  the  fashion  is  close  and  tight,  fat  men  are 
obliged  to  squeeze  themselves  almost  to  death,  in 
order  to  get  into  their  clothes.  When  they  are 
large,  lean  men  are  obliged  to  stuff  them  out  with 
cotton,  or  feathers,  or  any  other  convenient  thing,* 
so  that  one  can  never  know  what  a  man's  figure  is 
by  his  outward  appearance.  The  tailor  manages 
that  according  to  his  own  fancy  or  convenience." 

"Poor,  unfortunate  race,"  exclaimed  the  sage, 
"  let  us  commiserate  their  infirmities,  and  be  thank- 
ful that,  while  our  tails  remain  to  us,  we  have  no 
need  of  tailors." 

One  by  one,  every  article  of  the  traveler's  dress 
was  examined  and  commented  upon,  with  number- 
less questions  in  respect  to  their  various  uses. 


OF     ANIMALS.  163 

Seeing  a  sagacious  old  fellow  puzzling  himself  with 
various  experiments  to  detect  the  quality  and  use 
of  an  eye-glass,  which  was  suspended  by  a  chain 
from  his  neck,  Joseph  condescended  to  enlighten 
him,  by  assuring,  that  in  good;  that  is  to  say,  gen- 
teel society,  it  was  not  considered  polite  for  one 
person  to  look  at  another  with  the  naked  eye,  and 
glasses  were  invented,  as  a  proper  medium  of  vis- 
ion for  those  who  would  show  deference  and  respect 
to  each  other.  An  eye-glass  was,  therefore,  a  kind 
of  passport  to  good  society.  And  it  was  a  singular 
phenomenon,  that,  as  soon  as  any  one  rose  from  a 
low  condition  to  good  standing  in  society,  he  lost 
the  power  of  seeing  clearly  without  the  aid  of  a 
glass. 

Many  other  marvelous  and  ridiculous  stories  did 
the  Hing-po-qua  Munchausen  relate  for  the  diver- 
sion of  his  old  friends  and  associates — of  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  different  people,  of  their  towns 
and  cities,  their  palaces  and  ships,  and  numberless 
other  matters,  till  they  were  weary  of  hearing  what 
they  could  not  believe.  At  length,  with  a  general 
yawn,  they  bade  him  good  night,  and  betook  them- 
selves to  their  several  places  of  rest.  Gentleman 
Joe,  being  greatly  fatigued  with  his  travels,  and 
with  his  long  effort  to  entertain  his  companions, 
was  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  retire  to  the  hollow 
of  an  old  tree,  which  was  reserved  for  his  special 
use. 


164  MERRY'S  BO  OK  ^ 

As  his  custom  was,  he  divested  himself  of  all  his 
clothes,  carefully  hanging  them  on  the  twigs  and 
branches  that  grew  about  the  door  of  his  chamber. 
Having  acquired  the  genteel  habits  of  civilized 
society,  his  old  friends  were  all  awake  and  busy, 
while  he  was  yet  but  half  refreshed.  At  length,  at 
a  late  hour  in  the  morning,  he  opened  his  eyes, 
yawned,  stretched  himself,  and  turned  over  for 
another  nap.  In  doing  this,  he  caught  a  glimpse 
of  his  elegant  embroidered  coat  running  swiftly 
along  the  principal  branches  of  a  neighboring  tree. 
Starting  suddenly  up,  he  found  to  his  chagrin  and 
utter  dismay,  that  not  one  article  of  his  finery 
remained.  His  wakeful  cousins  had  borrowed  it 
all,  and  there  they  were,  one  with  his  cap,  an- 
other with  his  shirt,  a  third  with  one  stocking  on 
his  leg,  a  fourth  with  another  on  his  arm,  capering 
and  frisking  about,  with  infinite  glee  and  merri- 
ment. In  vain  did  he  attempt  to  recover  them  by 
giving  chase  first  to  one  and  then  to  another.  He 
had  lost  a  portion  of  his  nimbleness  and  power  of 
climbing,  and  his  old  friends  only  laughed  at  him 
for  his  present  unavailing  rage,  as  they  had  done 
before  for  his  vain  pretensions.  Deprived  of  his 
trappings,  and  both  ashamed  and  afraid  to  return, 
in  a  state  of  nakedness,  to  his  master,  this  accom- 
plished traveler  was  obliged  to  return  to  his  origi- 
nal mode  of  living,  and  to  the  humble  obscurity  of 
a  mere  monkey. 


OP     ANIMALS 


165 


THE  CAMEL. 


A  RABIA  is  a  large  country  of  Asia  ;  there  are 
jLL  few  rivers  in  it ;  there  are  few  towns  or  trees, 
but  there  are  a  great  deal  of  sand,  and  wide  deserts. 
Only  a  few  of  the  people  live  in  houses,  the  greater 
number  live  in  tents  ;  they  have  very  fine  horses  ; 
they  love  their  horses  very  much,  and  are  very 
kind  to  them.  The  horses  live  with  them  in  the 
tents,  and  never  kick  or  hurt  the  children.  Some 
of  the  Arabs  are  merchants  ;  some  are  shepherds, 
and  some  are  robbers. 

The  merchants  cannot  carry  goods  which  they 
buy,  and  sell,  as  we  do  in  ships  and  boats  ;  because 
there  are  not  rivers  to  sail  upon  in  Arabia. 


166  MERRY'S    BOOK 

The  Arabians  have  an  animal  which  is  very  use- 
ful to  them.  This  is  the  camel.  He  travels  for 
them,  gives  them  milk,  and  his  hair  makes  their 
slothes  ;  he  is  of  as  much  use  to  the  Arabian  as  the 
norse,  the  cow,  and  the  sheep  are  to  us :  he  is  as 
iseful  to  him,  as  the  reindeer  is  to  the  poor  Lap- 
lander. The  camels  carry  loads  of  three  or  four 
hundred  pounds  ;  they  kneel  down  to  take  up  the 
load,  and  rise  when  it  is  put  on  ;  they  will  not  al- 
low more  to  be  put  upon  their  backs  than  they  can 
carry  ;  if  more  is  put  on,  they  cry  loudly  till  it  is 
taken  off.  When  they  are  loaded,  the  camel  trots 
about  twenty-five  miles  in  a  day  ;  but  when  the 
camel  carries  only  a  man  on  his  back,  he  can  tra- 
vel one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  one  day. 

The  camel  drinks  a  great  quantity  of  water  at 
once  ;  he  has  a  safe  place  in  his  stomach,  where  he 
can  keep  the  water  a  long  time,  and  when  he  is 
thirsty,  he  wets  his  mouth  by  forcing  up  some  of 
the  water.  One  sort  of  camel  is  called  the  drome- 
dary. Some  kinds  of  the  camel  have  one  bunch  on 
the  back,  others  have  two  bunches.  Camels  live 
forty  or  fifty  years. 


OF     ANIMALS. 


167 


THE  HAMSTER  OR  MARMOT. 


HIS  little  animal  is  a  species  of  the 
Rodentiaor  gnawers,  and  is  provided 
with  a  pouch  or  bag  on  each  side  of 
mouth,  which  when  empty  does  not  ap- 
pear, but  when  filled,  gives  it  a  most  ludic- 
rous and  droll  appearance,  causing  >it  to  look  very 
much  as  little  boys  look  when  suffering  with  the 
mumps.  In  these  pouches  the  hamsters  store  their 
pilferings  in  the  grain  field  ;  and  when  they  have 
packed  away  as  much  wheat  or  oats  or  rye  as  they 
can  carry,  they  scamper  off  to  their  burrows  or  un- 
derground houses,  and  when  they  have  unpacked 
from  these  natural  receptacles  one  load  of  "steal- 
ings," they  return  to  the  fields  after  more,  for  they 
are  among  the  veriest  little  commorants  in  the 
world  ;  and  in  this  way,  manage  to  plunder  from  the 
farmer  a  surprising  number  of  bushels  of  valuable 
grain,  which  with  their  sharp  teeth,  they  cut  off 
ear  by  ear,  carrying  it  unthrashed  to  their  own 
neatly  kept  granary  for  their  winter  store. 

This  species  of  pouched  rat  is  about  nine  inches 
long  from  its  nose  to  its  tail,  the  tail  being  about 


168  MERRY'S    BOOK 

three  inches  in  length  and  with  but  little  hair  upon 
it,  resembling  in  this  respect,  the  common  rat. 
The  color  of  the  hamster  is  a  dark  yellow,  variega- 
ted with  black,  yellow  and  white  irregular  spots. 
It  is  sometimes  found  almost  black  in  some  cases, 
relieved  by  lighter  spots  and  with  a  white  or  yel- 
lowish muzzle. 

The  hamster  is  a  very  rare  and  beautiful  little 
animal,  and  is  an  inhabitant  of  Saxony,  that  part  of 
Germany  now  under  the  government  of  Prussia, 
and  has  thus  become  identified  with  the  birth-place 
of  Martin  Luther,  the  Reformer,  as  it  is  seldom 
found  elsewhere.  Species  of  it,  however,  have 
been  captured  in  other  parts  of  Germany,  and 
sometimes  in  Siberia  and  the  southern  parts  of 
Russia. 

The  hamster  is  very  shy,  but  when  attacked  is 
fierce  and  savage.  A  favorite  resort  of  his,  when 
hard  pushed,  is  to  jump  on  the  breast  or  shoulders 
of  the  hunter  who  corners  him,  and  striking  his 
long  sharp  teeth  fast  in  the  flesh  of  his  enemy,  thus 
supports  himself  while  he  tears  and  scratches  him 
most  vigorously  with  his  piercing  claws. 

The  houses  of  the  hamster  differ  in  size  accord- 
ing to  the  difference  of  their  age.  The  young  ones 
do  not  burrow  over  a  foot  under  ground,  whilst  the 
old  ones  often  dig  to  the  depth  of  five  feet,  and  in 
diameter,  the  habitation  for  each  family  is  frequent- 
ly ten  or  twelve  feet.  The  principal  chamber, 


OF     ANIMALS.  169 

which  is  the  bed  chamber  of  the  old  couple  and  their 
young  family,  is  warmly  lined  with  dried  grass  or 
moss.  The  other  chambers  of  the  habitation  are 
used  for  storing  provisions,  and  one  is  usually  set 
apart  for  the  use  of  the  head  of  the  family,  he  be- 
ing either  fond  of  the  seclusion  of  uninterrupted 
retirement,  or  else  willing  to  leave  his  wife  sole 
mistress  of  the  domestic  arrangements  without  any 
meddlesome  interference,  which  ladies  usually  so 
loudly  deprecate. 

Each  habitation  has  two  holes,  one  for  ventilation 
and  one  for  a  passage  of  ingress  and  egress.  One 
of  these  descends  in  an  oblique  direction,  and  the 
other  perpendicularly.  The  young  mature  very 
quickly,  and,  like  rabbits,  they  would  increase  in 
numbers  with  most  amazing  rapidity,  were  it  not 
for  the  efforts  of  the  hunter,  who  lays  all  manner 
of  snares  and  traps  for  their  destruction  on  account 
of  the  value  of  their  fur. 

The  fur  of  the  hamster,  though  coarse,  is  highly 
esteemed  for  cloak-linings,  to  which  use  it  is  for 
the  most  part  appropriated.  It  is  also  used  for 
other  trimmings,  and  sometimes  for  ladies7  muffs. 
It  is  eagerly  sought  by  the  trapper,  and  commands 
a  good  price. 

As  winter  approaches,  the  hamster,  who  has  ta- 
ken such  good  care  to  store  his  cellars  with  provi- 
sions, retires  into  his  subterranean  abode  to  return 
no  more  to  the  upper  air  till  spring.  He  carefully 


170  MERRY'S    BOOK 

closes  the  main  entrance  after  him,  and  thus  secure, 
feeds  and  fattens  upon  his  palatable  grains,  until 
the  great  cold  of  winter  comes  upon  him.  He  then 
rolls  himself  up  into  a  ball,  and  sinks  into  a  sleep 
as  profound  as  that  of  Rip  Yan  Winkle  himself, 
though  of  not  so  long  duration,  the  sleep  of  the 
hamster  lasting  only  while  the  cold  weather  lasts. 
In  this  state  of  torpidity  curious  physiologists  have 
experimented  upon  the  poor  animal;  They  have 
found  the  body  cold  and  the  limbs  inflexible  as 
though  with  death  j  the  only  signs  of  life,  on  open- 
ing the  animal,  being  in  the  heart,  which  has  been 
found  to  pulsate  very  slowly ;  so  slow  as  to  be 
scarcely  perceptible. 

THE  ALPINE  HARE,  or  as  it  is  sometimes  called, 
Alpine  Marmot,  is  another  species  of  the  Marmot 
family,  though  somewhat  larger  in  size,  being  six- 
teen or  eighteen  inches  long.  Linnaeus  and  others 
place  it  among  the  family  of  rats  or  gnawers,  al- 
though some  naturalists  deny  its  close  relationship 
to  the  marmot. 

The  Alpine  hare  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
interesting  animals  of  its  whole  class  on  account  of 
its  habits,  the  beauty  of  its  fur,  <fcc.  In  summer 
the  color  of  its  fur  on  the  upper  part  of  its  body  is 
of  a  grayish  yellow  or  brownish  ash,  while  in  win- 
ter it  is  of  a  snowy  white,  like  the  Ermine,  all  over, 
with  the  exception  only  of  the  tips  of  its  ears,  which 
are  at  all  seasons  of  a  jetty  black. 


OF     ANIMALS.        .  171 

The  Alpine  hare  inhabits  the  mountainous  re- 
gions of  Europe,  more  particularly  those  of  Swit- 
zerland and  Saxony,  from  which  it  takes  its  name. 
It  delights  particularly  in  regions  just  below  per- 
petual frost  and  snow,  and  in  winter,  instead  of  bur- 
rowing in  the  ground,  even  when  the  storms  are 
most  severe,  and  the  cold  most  intense,  it  lives  in 
burrows  made  in  the  deep  snow.  And  here,  unlike 
the  marmot,  it  never  falls  into  a  torpid  state,  but 
keeps  up  the  high  temperature  of  its  body,  even  in 
the  severest  cold.  These  burrows  it  generally 
makes  close  beside  the  root  of  some  small  tree,  or 
upland  bush,  which,  from  being  warmer  than  the 
snow,  melts  it  sufficiently  around  the  bark  to  form 
a  sort  of  chimney  or  breathing  hole  for  the  saga- 
cious dweller  underneath.  These  snow  palaces  are 
not,  by  any  means,  uncomfortable  abodes  ;  snow  be- 
ing a  non-conductor  of  heat,  forms,  in  fact,  a  warm- 
er shelter  from  the  cold  than  a  hole  in  the  earth. 
Then  the  white  fur  of  the  animal,  which  is  warmer 
than  any  other  colored  fur,  prevents  the  heat  of  its 
body  from  escaping,  so  that  altogether,  these  imi- 
tators of  the  Esquimaux  have  a  very  comfortable 
life,  and  the  little  columns  of  smoke,  which  of  a 
clear  cold  day  are  seen  arising  from  their  breathing 
chimneys,  where  there  is  a  large  colony  of  them, 
appear  not  unlike  a  miniature  settlement  of  the 
snow  huts  of  those  Indians  of  the  Polar  regions — 
the  Esquimaux — with  the  smoke  of  their  fires  as- 


172  MERRY'S   BOOK 

cending  from  their  odd  shaped  windows.  In  fine 
weather  the  Alpine  hare  loves  to  enjoy  the  sun- 
shine, sitting  outside  its  habitation  upon  its  hind 
feet  in  an  erect  position,  and  looking  abroad  upon 
the  scenery  like  any  other  amateur  artist.  But 
they  always  take  the  precaution  to  place  a  sentinel 
on  guard,  so  that  they  need  have  no  fear  of  a  sur- 
prise. While  they  are  engaged  in  eating,  the  sen- 
tinel keeps  double  watch,  and  at  the  slightest  ap- 
proach of  danger  gives  a  shrill  whistle,  and  the 
whole  army  of  eaters  disappear  into  their  burrows. 
These  burrows  are  formed  in  this  shape  Y,  like 
the  letter  Y.  The  Alpine  hare  has  not  the  same 
facility  for  running  that  the  common  hare  has,  its 
legs  being  much  shorter,  but  as  the  eagle  is  almost 
the  only  enemy  it  dreads,  owing  to  its  elevated 
place  of  abode,  it  has  not  the  same  need  for  fleet- 
ness  of  foot,  that  characterizes  the  common  hare. 
The  eagle  it  manages  to  elude  by  darting  under 
cover,  at  the  first  cause  for  alarm. 

The  Histonwish,  which  is  found  in  the  wilds  of 
the  western  continent,  is  another  species  of  the 
marmot.  There  is  also  another,  called  the  Quebec 
marmot,  found  in  the  northern  parts  of  North  Ame- 
rica. This  species  lives  mostly  in  trees,  makes  its 
burrows  in  dry  spots,  and  passes  a  very  solitary 
life. 


OF      ANIMALS. 


173 


MY  SQUIRREL. 

QUIRRELS  are  amusing 
little  fellows.  I  wonder  if 
any  of  my  little  Merry  cou- 
sins ever  tamed  one.  I 
have  an  idea  floating  around 
in  that  part  of  my  cranium 
where  the  brains  are  sup- 
posed to  find  an  abiding- 
place,  that  not  many  of  them 
ever  undertook  the  task  ; 
not  that  it  was  laborious,  oh  no  ;  we  of  the  Merry 
family  never  think  of  that,  but  because  it  was  al- 
most, if  not  quite,  absolutely  impossible. 

But  somehow  or  another  I  was  rather  fortunate 
in  the  taming  of  my  squirrels.  I  am  not  bound  to 
know  whether  there  was  anything  very  attractive 
about  me,  which  induced  "  Bunriie"  to  place  so 
much  confidence  in  me  or  not ;  suffice  it  to  say,  he 
did,  and  no  other  shares  the  trust.  Now  for  how  I 
did  it,  for  of  course  you  all  want  to  know  that ;  but 
be  patient,  it  will  come  in  time  ;  my  pen  is  scratch- 
ing away  for  dear  life  now,  it  won't  go  any  faster. 

One  day  last  summer,  and  a  warm  day  it  was  too, 
I  took  my  usual  walk  to  the  brook,  where,  with  a 
book,  or  perhaps  my  sewing,  (oftener  the  former,) 
I've  whiled  away  many  a  lonely  hour,  (quite  ro- 


174  MERRY'S   BOOK 

man  tic  that,  isn't  it?)  On  this  particular  day, 
however,  I  had  a  book,  but  it  would  not  engage 
my  attention  in  the  least ;  do  what  I  would,  my 
mind  would  wander,  and  in  sheer  desperation  I 
threw  it  away  from  me,  and  betook  myself  to  the 
delightful  occupation  of — tossing  pebbles  in  the' 
brook.  For  not  long,  however  ;  for  suddenly,  just 
above  me,  I  heard  a  remarkably  strange  chirp. 
"  That's  no  bird,"  thought  I ;  and  looking  up,  there 
on  a  limb,  just  over  my  head,  was  perched  the 
prettiest  little  squirrel  you  ever  did  see,  its  bushy 
tail  curled  up  over  his  jback,  his  fore  paws  holding 
a  nut  to  his  teeth,  and  his  little  twinkling  black 
eyes  dancing  about  with  the  most  marvelous 
celerity. 

After  watching  him  awhile,  I  ventured  to  call 
"  Bunnie."  His  eyes  looked  frightened,  and  glan- 
cing about,  they  at  last  came  down  to  me.  There 
they  stayed,  till  after  satisfying  himself  as  to  my 
identity,  he  scampered  off,  up  one  limb,  across  an- 
other, till  out  of  sight  I  "  How  provoking  1"  I  ex- 
claimed, when  a  bright  thought  struck  me.  I  won- 
der what  kind  of  an  effect  "  nuts  "  will  have  upon 
his  majesty  ?  I  pondered,  and  the  result  was  a 
tramp  to  the  house  and  back,  with  a  pocketful  of 
nuts.  A  few  were  laid  on  the  ground  beside  me, 
and  I  sat  very  quietly  awaiting  the  result  of  my 
experiment.  I  waited  a  long  time  before  there 
was  any  demonstration  of  Bunnie's  presence,  and 


OF     ANIMALS.  175 

then  I  heard  a  slight  rustle.  I  did  not  move  ;  then 
another,  and  another,  each  one  nearer,  then  glan- 
cing out  of  the  corner  of  my  eye,  I  saw  Bunnie's 
identical  self  close  to  my  heap  of  nuts !  I  kept 
perfectly  still,  and  saw  a  little  paw  put  out,  which 
clasped  a  nut,  and  away  sped  the  little  thief  up  the 
tree,  and  away<  Presently,  back  he  came,  and  ap- 
proaching my  nuts,  another  was  taken,  and  away 
he  scampered.  And  so  he  continued  to  come,  each 
time  bolder  than  before,  till  there  was  but  one  nut 
left !  As  he  reached  his  paw  for  that,  my  hand 
took  the  paw !  A  prisoner  !  and  oh,  so  frightened  ! 
"  You'll  be  more  comfortable  in  a  minute,  Bunnie  ; 
just  look  here  !"  and  I  held  a  nut  before  him.  His 
eyes  glistened,  and  his  little  paw  clutched  it,  like  a 
greedy  little  Shylock  as  he  was.  He  cracked  it,  to 
my  infinite  amusement  and  satisfaction,  and  picked 
the  meat  out  "  beautifully,"  then  looked  up  into  my 
face  with  a  most  "  trustlike  "  expression  in  his  lit- 
tle eyes  for  "  more."  He  had  another  and  another, 
till  after  a  while  I  ventured  to  release  him,  when 
he  perched  himself  on  my  shoulder,  and  there  he 
sat  very  contented,  nibbling  the  nuts  I  gave  him, 
now  and  then  looking  into  my  face  with  an  expres- 
sion very  like  "  gratitude." 

Ever  since,  whenever  I  have  been  down,  he  al- 
ways comes  out  to  meet  me,  and  when  I  sit  down, 
perches  himself  on  my  shoulder.  Sometimes  I  talk 
to  him,  holding  him  in  my  hand  the  while,  then  he 


176  MERRY'S    BOOK 

whisks  his  tail  most  understandingly,  and  looks 
unutterable*  ! 

Yes,  my  squirrel  is,  I  do  believe,  the  knowing- 
est,  cunningest,  prettiest,  and  nicest  little  squirrel 
that  ever  lived.  Now,  shouldn't  you  think  I'd  love 
it?  and  love  it,  too, better  than  a  dozen  little  tame 
playthings  that  always  were,  always  are,  and  al- 
ways will  be,  tame.  Just  you  try  it  who  can,  and 
then  see  if  you  don't  coincide  with  me. 

A  recent  exploit  of  one  of  these  sprightly  and 
sharp-witted  little  creatures,  belonging  to  a  neigh- 
bor of  mine,  has  so  much  interested  and  surprised 
me,  as  exhibiting  passion,  sagacity,  and  an  obvious 
process  of  reasoning — so  like  the  human  race  under 
similar  circumstances,  that  I  think  it  cannot  fail  to 
prove  of  some  interest  to  others,  and  I  therefore 
am  induced  to  offer  a  brief  relation  of  the  fact  for 
my  numerous  readers. 

The  squirrel  in  question,  having  been  taken 
when  very  young,  had  become  as  tame  and  familiar 
as  a  kitten,  and,  up  to  the  act  by  which  he  thought 
fit  to  sacrifice  his  home  for  the  gratification  of  his 
resentments,  he  had  shown  himself  quite  amicable 
and  harmless. 

On  the  day  of  the  incident  about  to  be  related, 
the  owner  having  some  company  at  they  house 
whom  he  was  treating  with  cracked  walnuts,  gave 
one  to  his  pet.  This  being  greedily  devoured,  the 
gentleman,  by  way  of  amusing  himself  and  com- 


OF     ANIMALS 


177 


pany,  then  selected  a  promising  looking  shell,  care- 
fully removed  the  meat,  and  putting  the  shell  to- 
gether again,  placed  it  before  his  nut-loving  favor- 
ite. The  squirrel,  never  having  been  before  de- 
ceived by  a  trick  of  the  kind,  confidently  took  up 
the  shell  in  his  paws,  when  perceiving  it  empty,  he 


let  it  fall  with  an  air  of  evident  disappointment. 
The  experiment  was  then  repeated.  This  was  too 
much  for  the  patience  and  equanimity  of  his  squir- 
relship.  On  discovery  that  his  second  nut,  thus  in- 
sultingly offered  him,  was,  like  the  former,  destitute 
of  the  expected  treat,  he  turned  an  angry  glance 


178  MERRY'S   BOOK 

upon  the  author  of  the  trick,  and  springing  up, 
seized  him  by  the  thumb,  which  he  bit  to  the  bone, 
and  then,  though  no  word  or  blow  was  offered  or 
given,  running  out  of  the  house,  immediately  re- 
treated to  the  woods,  from  which  he  has  never  re- 
turned. 


THE  GREY  SQUIRREL. 

THE  pretty  Grey  Squirrel  lives  up  in  the  tree, 

A  gay  little  creature  as  ever  can  be ; 

But,  though  gay,  he  is  prudent,  and  works  like  the  ant, 

To  provide  in  the  summer,  for  cold  winter's  wants. 

He  seeks  out  a  hole  in  an  old  tree's  core, 

Where  he  makes  a  warm  nest,  and  lays  up  his  store 

And  when  winter  comes,  and  the  trees  are  all  bare, 

And  the  white  snow  is  falling,  and  keen  is  the  air, 

He  heeds  not  the  cold,  as  he  sits  by  himself 

In  his  warm  little  nest,  with  his  nuts  on  the  shelf. 

0  wise  little  squirrel !  no  wonder  that  he 

In  the  green  summer  woods  is  as  gay  as  can  be. 


OP     ANIMALS.  179 

THE  LION. 


riTHE  lion  is  of  a  uniform  gray  or  tawny  color  ; 
1  tlie  male,  from  his  fourth  year,  has  his  head, 
neck,  and  shoulders  covered  with  a  mane  ;  this 
gives  him  a  majestic  appearance,  and  distinguishes 
him  from  the  rest  of  the  feline  tribe.  His  length, 
from  the  muzzle  to  the  tail,  is  about  five  feet  two 
inches  ;  his  tail,  which  is  furnished  at  the  extremi- 
ty with  a  tuft  of  hair,  is  about  two  feet  two  inches 
in  length.  The  female  brings  forth,  at  times,  but 
one  whelp,  and  never  more  than  six.  The  whelps 
are  born  with  their  eyes  open,  and  are  as  large  as 
our  domestic  cats  ;  at  first  their  bodies  are  covered 
with  brown  stripes,  running  diagonally  ;  their  ears 
do  not  erect  themselves  until  they  are  two  months 
old  ;  the  mother  defends  them  with  terrible  fury. 


180  MEBEY'S    BOOK 

At  the  present  day  the  lion  is  found  only  in  Africa 
and  some  parts  of  Asia  :  in  old  times  he  inhabited 
Syria  and  Greece,  between  the  rivers  Nestus  and 
Archelaus.  Next  to  the  Asiatic  tiger,  and  Ameri- 
can jaguar,  he  is  the  most  ferocious  beast  of  prey. 
He  lives  to  a  great  age.  In  the  year  1760,  a  lion 
died  in  England,  which  had  been  confined  in  the 
Tower  for  more  than  seventy  years,  and  another 
died  there  also  at  the  age  of  three  and  sixty. 

The  following  description  will  give  us  a  correct 
idea  of  the  nature  of  the  lion. 

"  The  lion,"  says  Lichtenstein,  "  like  all  the  fe- 
line tribe,  springs  upon  his  prey,  and  never  at- 
tacks a  man  or  a  beast  that  does  not  run  from  him, 
without  having  first  crouched  to  the  ground  at 
a  distance  of  ten  or  twelve  paces,  and  measured 
his  leap.  Hunters  take  advantage  of  this  fact,  and 
it  has  become  a  rule  with  them  never  to  fire  until 
he  crouches,  when  at  that  short  distance  they  can 
take  aim  with  such  certainty,  that  the  ball  strikes 
him  exactly  in  the  forehead.  When  a  man  is  so 
unfortunate  as  to  encounter  a  lien  unarmed,  his  only 
hope  of  safety  is  in  his  courage  and  presence  of 
mind.  If  he  attempts  to  run,  he  is  infallibly  lost ; 
if  he  stands  still  quietly,  the  lion  will  not  attack 
him.  He  must  not  allow  himself  to  be  disturbed, 
even  if  the  animal  approaches  quite  near  him,  and 
crouches,  as  if  about  to  take  his  leap  •  he  will  not 
venture  this  leap  if  the  man  has  courage  enough  to 


OF     ANIMALS.  181 

stand  motionless  as  a  statue,  and  look  calmly  in 
his  eyes.  There  is  something  in  the  lofty  form 
of  man  which  inspires  the  lion  with  respect  and  a 
distrust  of  his  own  strength,  and  the  calm  attitude 
of  the  body  increases  this  impression  every  moment. 
It  would  be  banished  by  an  imprudent  movement, 
which  should  betray  fear,  or  challenge  the  beast  to 
the  attack.  The  result  shows  that  his  fear  has  been 
no  less  than  that  of  the  man  ;  for  after  a  while  he 
rises  slowly,  retires  some  steps,  continually  looking 
back  ;  crouches  again  •  retires  still,  at  shorter  and 
shorter  intervals,  and  at  last,  when  he  thinks  him- 
self beyond  the  dangerous  proximity,  takes  to 
flight  with  all  his  speed.  Unanimously  as  this  fact 
is  asserted  by  the  inhabitants  of  all  parts  of  Africa, 
yet  the  experiment  can  scarcely  have  been  made 
very  often. 

Formerly,  when  lions  were  in  greater  abundance 
and  the  colonists  had  not  learned  how  to  hunt  them, 
they  arranged  a  great  hunt  in  common  against  a 
lion  ;  tried  to  lure  him  into  the  open  country,  and 
formed  a  large  circle  about  him.  If  he  tried  to 
break  through  on  one  side,  they  fired  at  him  from 
the  opposite,  and  when  he  turned  angrily  upon  his 
new  assailants,  he  was  easily  overcome  by  the  nu- 
merous bullets  which  they  discharged  from  all  sides. 
But  he  is  now  usually  hunted  by  two  in  company  ; 
and  skillful  marksmen,  who  are  sure  of  their  aim, 
and  can  depend  upon  their  weapons,  venture  to  go 


182  MERRY'S  BOOK 

alone  in  pursuit  of  a  lion,  and  even  to  seek  him  out 
in  his  lair.  Such  an  undertaking  is  very  danger- 
ous, however,  and  many  accidents  have  occurred. 
Here  are  two  examples. 

The  field  commandant  Ijaard  Vanderwald,  and 
his  brother  Johannes,  were  pursuing,  not  far  from 
their  dwellings,  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Schnee- 
berg,  the  track  of  a  lion,  which  had  done  great  mis- 
chief among  their  herds,  and  discovered  him  at  last 
in  a  ravine  which  was  overgrown  with  thick  bush- 
es. They  took  their  position  on  either  side  of  the 
entrance,  and  sent  in  their  dogs  to  hunt  the  animal 
out.  They  succeeded  in  this  ;  the  lion  rushed  to- 
ward the  side  where  the  last  named  brother  stood, 
crouched,  and  received  the  contents  of  his  musket. 
Unfortunately  the  shot  had  not  hit  him  directly, 
but  had  just  grazed  his  ear  and  the  side  of  his 
breast.  After  an  interval  of  hesitation,  which  last- 
ed for  a  few  seconds,  the  beast  recovered  himself, 
and  darted,  furious  with  pain,  with  such  rage  upon 
the  hunter,  that  he  had  scarcely  time  to  leap  upon 
his  horse  and  endeavor  to  fly.  But  in  a  few  bounds 
the  lion  overtook  him,  leaped  upon  the  back  of  the 
horse,  which,  crushed  by  the  weight,  could  not  stir 
from  the  spot,  and  struck  his  claws  into  the  thigh 
of  the  unhappy  man,  seizing  him  at  the  same  time 
with  his  teeth  by  his  clothes.  While  he  clings 
with  all  his  strength  to  the  horse,  to  prevent  him- 
self from  being  dragged  to  the  ground,  he  hears 


OF     ANIMALS.  183 

his  brother  galloping  up  behind  him,  and  calls  to 
him  to  shoot,  hit  whom  he  might.  The  brave  Ija- 
ard  leaps  from  his  horse,  calmly  takes  aim,  and 
shoots  the  lion  through  the  head,  and  strangely  for- 
tunate, the  ball  passes  through  the  saddle,  without 
injuring  either  horse  or  rider. 

Another  man  was  not  so  lucky — a  hunter  called 
Rendsburg,  who,  with  a  cousin  of  the  same  name, 
went  to  hunt  a  lion.  The  adventure  took  exactly 
the  same  turn  as  the  former  one,  but  the  lion  leap- 
ed sidewise  upon  the  horseman,  and  seized  him 
with  his  teeth  by  the  left  arm.  His  cowardly  com- 
rade, instead  of  assisting  the  unhappy  man,  ran  to 
call  upon  some  men  for  help,  who  were  posted  not 
far  off,  at  another  outlet  of  the  thicket. 

In  the  mean  while,  Rendsburg  had  resorted  to 
his  last  means  of  defence,  and  while  the  enraged 
animal  lacerates  and  crushes  his  left  arm,  he  draws 
with  his  right  a  knife  from  his  pocket,  and  pierces 
the  breast  of  the  furious  beast  in  several  places. 
Those  who  had  hastened  to  his  assistance,  found 
him  dragged  from  his  horse,  swimming  in  his  blood, 
his  left  arm  entirely  torn  from  his  body,  his  side 
dreadfully  lacerated,  and  the  dead  lion  lying  upon 
him,  with  the  knife  in  his  heart.  After  a  few  mo- 
ments, the  bold  hunter,  exhausted  by  loss  of  blood, 
breathed  his  last. 

A  writer,  whose  testimony  may  be  relied  on, 
tells  us  that,  in  many  partfe  of  the  mountains,  not 


184 

far  from  Elephant  river,  lions  are  found  in  such 
abundance,  that  once,  when  on  a  journey,  he  saw 
two  and  twenty  of  them  in  one  spot.  The  most  of 
them  were  young,  eight  of  them  only  being  full 
grown.  He  had  just  unharnessed  his  horses  upon 
an  open  place,  and  retreating  with  his  companions 
to  a  distance,  without  venturing  a  shot,  he  gave  up 
his  beasts  a  prey  to  the  wild  beasts,  who  killed  six 
of  them,  and  dragged  them  away. 

Near  Rietrieviersport  we  came  to  the  house  of  a 
man  named  Vanwyk.  While  we  let  our  cattle  feed 
a  little,  and  sought  the  shadow  under  the  portico 
of  the  house,  Vanwyk  related  to  us  the  following 
story  :  It  is  somewhat  more  than  two  years  since 
I  ventured  a  dangerous  shot  on  the  spot  where  we 
now  stand.  Here  in  the  house,  close  to  the  door,  sat 
my  wife.  The  children  were  playing  near  her,  and 
I  was  without  at  the  side  of  the  house,  busied  with 
my  wagon,  when  suddenly,  in  broad  day,  a  large 
lion  appeared  and  laid  himself  quietly  down  near 
the  threshold  in  the  shadow  of  the  portico.  My 
wife,  benumbed  with  terror,  and  aware  of  the  dan- 
ger of  flight,  remained  in  her  place  ;  the  children 
took  refuge  in  her  lap.  Their  cries  attracted  my 
attention.  I  hurried  towards  the  door,  and  you 
can  imagine  my  astonishment,  when  I  found  the 
passage  barred  in  this  manner.  Although  the  an* 
imal  had  not  seen  me,  yet,  unarmed  as  I  was,  it 
seemed  impossible  to  save  them.  I  turned,  how- 


OF     ANIMALS.  185 

ever,  almost  involuntarily,  toward  the  rear  of  the 
house,  towards  the  chamber  in  which  stood  my 
loaded  musket. 

Fortunately  I  had,  by  chance,  placed  it  in  the 
corner  nearest  the  window,  and  could  reach  it  with 
my  hand,  for  as  you  see,  the  opening  is  too  small 
to  allow  me  to  climb  into  the  room,  and  still  more  for- 
tunately the  door  of  the  chamber  was  open,  so  that 
I  could  see  the  whole  of  the  frightful  scene.  The 
lion  now  made  a  movement ;  it  was  perhaps  about 
to  take  a  leap.  I  hesitated  no  longer,  whispered  a 
word  of  encouragement  to  my  wife,  and  fired,  with 
a  low  "God  help  me."  The  ball  passed  close  to 
my  boy's  curls,  and  struck  the  lion  above  his  flash- 
ing eyes  upon  the  forehead,  so  that  he  fell  dead  in- 
stantly. 

It  not  unfrequently  happens  that  the  lion  when 
he  sleeps  is  awakened  by  the  hounds,  which  are 
the  constant  companions  of  the  caravans.  Thus 
Barchell  relates  the  following  adventure  :  One 
bright  day,  at  noon,  as  our  dogs  were  diverting 
themselves  by  beating  the  reed-covered  bank  of  a 
river,  they  suddenly  broke  out  into  a  peculiar  and 
loud  barking  ;  we  sought  for  the  cause  of  the  cla- 
mor, and  were  soon  convinced  that  they  had  seen 
a  lion.  We  urged  them  on,  and  soon  beheld  a 
large  lion,  with  a  black  bushy  mane,  and  a  lioness. 
We  saw  the  latter  but  for  an  instant,  she  disappear- 
ed so  quickly  amid  the  reeds. 


186  MERRY'S   BOOK. 

The  lion,  on  the  contrary,  stood  still,  and  gazed 
steadfastly  upon  us.  Our  situation  was  not  desti- 
tute of  danger,  for  the  lion  was  but  a  few  paces 
distant  from  us,  and  seemed  preparing  to  leap  up- 
on us.  The  most  of  us  were  on  foot  and  without 
suitable  weapons.  But  we  had  no  time  for  fear, 
and  necessity  required  an  attack  in  order  to  escape 
one.  I  kept  well  upon  my  guard  indeed,  held  my 
pistol  in  my  hand,  with  my  finger  upon  the  trigger, 
and  the  rest  who  were  provided  with  firearms  did 
the  same. 

But  soon  the  dogs  began  to  throw  themselves  be- 
tween us  and  the  lion,  surrounded  him  and  kept  up 
a  violent  barking.  The  courage  of  the  animals 
was  truly  wonderful ;  they  approached  closer  and 
closer  toward  the  sides  of  the  mighty  beast,  and 
now  threatened  him  in  front,  barking  violently,  and 
without  betraying  the  slightest  signs  of  fear.  The 
lion,  conscious  of  his  strength,  remained  quiet,  and 
fixed  his  eyes  only  upon  us.  The  dogs  grew  bold- 
er and  bolder,  and  ventured  even  within  reach  of 
his  mighty  paws.  He  now  became  annoyed  at  their 
din  ;  a  slight  movement  of  his  paw,  and  two  of  his 
bold  antagonists  lay  dead  upon  the  earth.  This 
was  done  without  the  least  exertion,  and  so  rapid- 
ly that  we  could  scarcely  understand  the  result. 
We  fired  at  him,  and  a  ball  struck  him  beneath  the 
fore  ribs,  so  that  the  blood  flowed.  He  remained 
for  a  while  in  the  same  position,  and  then  retired. 


OF     ANIMALS.  187 

At  the  commencement  of  the  previous  century, 
there  was,  among  other  animals  in  the  menagerie 
at  Cassel,  a  lion,  which  was  remarkably  tame,  at 
least  towards  the  woman  who  fed  and  tended  it. 
This  was  so  much  the  case  that  the  daring  woman, 
in  order  to  excite  the  wonder  of  the  spectators,  of- 
ten ventured  to  put,  not  only  her  hand,  but  even' 
her  head,  within  the  animal's  enormous  jaws.  She 
had  often  done  this  without  the  slightest  accident 
occurring,  and  still  the  old  and  true  proverb  was 
at  last  verified,  "  He  who  goes  into  unnecessary 
danger  perishes  in  it," 

One  day,  as  the  woman  entrusted  again  her  head 
to  his  jaws,  the  lion  snapped  them  to,  and  broke 
her  neck,  so  that  she  died  on  the  spot.  This  was 
doubtless  committed  involuntarily  by  the  lion,  as, 
unfortunately  for  the  woman  in  this  critical  mo- 
ment, he  was  compelled,  tickled,  perhaps  by  a  hair 
of  his  mane,  to  sneeze.  The  result  at  least  seemed 
perfectly  to  justify  this  supposition,  for  scarcely 
had  he  remarked  that  he  had  caused  the  death  of 
his  attendant,  than  the  good  natured  and  grateful 
animal  became  exceedingly  sorrowful,  laid  himself 
down  near  the  body,  would  not  allow  it  to  be  re- 
moved from  him,  refused  all  the  food  that  was  of- 
fered him,  and  a  few  days  after  this  misfortune  died 
from  grief. 


188  MERRY'S    BOOK 


THE  ELK. 

Elk,  or  Moose  Deer,  inhabits  the  northern 
J_  forests  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  America.  It  is 
generally  larger  than  the  horse  both  in  height  and 
bulk.  Its  horns  are  shed  annually,  and  are  of  such 
magnitude  that  some  have  been  found  that  weigh- 
ed upwards  of  sixty  pounds.  The  neck  of  the  Elk 
is  so  short  and  its  legs  so  long  that  it  cannot  graze 
on  level  ground,  but  must  browse  the  tops  of  large 
plants  and  the  leaves  and  branches  of  trees.  It  can 
step  without  difficulty  over  a  gate  that  is  five  feet 
feet  high.  When  disturbed  it  never  gallops,  but 
escapes  by  a  kind  of  quick  trot.  None  of  the  deer 
tribe  are  so  easily  tamed  as  this  animal,  which  is 
naturally  gentle  ;  and  when  he  is  once  domestica- 
ted he  manifests  great  affection  for  his  master. 
The  Indians  believe  that  there  exists  a  gigantic 
Elk,  which  can  walk  without  difficulty  in  eight  feet 
of  snow,  is  invulnerable  to  all  weapons,  and  has  an 
arm  growing  out  of  his  shoulder,  which  it  uses  as 
we  do  ours.  They  consider  him  as  the  king  of  the 
Elks,  and  imagine  that  he  is  attended  by  numerous 
courtiers.  With  them  the  elk  is  also  an  animal  of 
good  omen,  and  to  dream  of  him  often  is  looked 
upon  as  an  indication  of  long  life. 

The  elk  frequents  cold  but  woody  regions,  in  the 
forests  of  which  it  can  readily  browse  on  the  lower 


OP     ANIMALS. 


189 


190  MERRY'S     BOOK 

branches  and  suckers  of  trees,  its  peculiar  structure 
rendering  grazing  an  inconvenient  and  even  pain- 
ful action.  In  winter,  when  the  snow  sets  in,  and 
when  the  wolves  in  particular,  urged  by  hunger, 
assemble  in  troops  to  hunt  those  animals  which 
they  dare  not  attack,  singly,  the  elks  assemble  in 
herds  for  mutual  protection  and  warmth  in  forests 
of  pines  and  other  evergreens.  These  herds  con- 
sist of  several  families,  the  members  of  which  keep 
very  close  together.  In  the  severest  frosts,  they 
press  one  agains-t  another,  or  trot  in  a  large  circle 
till  they  have  trodden  down  the  snow. 

Their  favorite  food,  when  the  winter  proves  se- 
vere, is  the  buds  and  bark  of  the  buttonwood,  birch, 
and  maple  trees,  <fcc.  They  browse  against  an  as- 
cent in  preference  to  level  ground,  which,  owing 
to  their  long  legs  and  short  neck,  they  cannot 
easily  reach.  In  summer,  to  escape  the  torments 
of  gnats  and  other  insects,  they  take  to  the  water, 
and  swim  great  distances  with  ease  ;  and  they  are 
able  thus  to  gratify  their  appetite  for  aquatic 
plants. 

The  elk  is  easily  domesticated.  It  will  follow  its 
keeper  to  any  distance  from  home,  and  return  with 
him  at  his  call.  Hearne  informs  us  that  an  Indian 
at  the  factory  of  Hudson's  Bay  had,  in  the  year  1777, 
two  elks  so  tame  that  when  he  was  passing  in  a 
canoe  from  Prince  of  "Wales  Fort,  they  always  fol- 
lowed him  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  at  night, 


OF    ANIMALS.  191 

or  whenever  he  landed,  they  came  and  fondled  on 
him  in  the  same  manner  as  the  most  domesticated 
animal  would  have  done,  and  never  attempted  to 
stray  from  the  tents.  One  day,  however,  crossing 
a  deep  bay  in  one  of  the  lakes,  in  order  to  save  a 
very  circuitous  route  along  its  bank,  he  expected 
that  the  animals  would  follow  him  round  as  usual, 
but  at  night  they  did  not  arrive  ;  and  as  the  howl- 
ing of  wolves  was  heard  in  that  quarter  where  they 
were,  it  is  supposed  that  the  elks  were  destroyed 
by  them,  for  they  were  never  seen  afterward. 


192 


MERRY'S   BOOK 


HOW  APES  CATCH  CRABS,  AND  CRABS 
CATCH  APES. 


HE  following  amusing  scene  is  related 
by  a  traveler  in  Java,  which  he  wit- 
nessed  in   the   company  of  the   na- 
tives : — 

"  After  walking  close  up  to  the  old  cam- 
paign, they  were  upon  the  point  of  turning 
back,  when  a  young  fellow  emerged  from  the  thicket, 
and  said  a  few  words  to  the  mandoor.  The  latter 
turned  with  a  laugh  to  Frank,  and  asked  if  he  had 
ever  seen  the  apes  catch  crabs.  Frank  replied  in 
the  negative,  and  the  mandoor  taking  his  hand,  led 
him  gently  and  cautiously  through  the  deserted 
villages,  to  a  spot  which  the  young  fellow  had 
pointed  out,  and  where  the  old  man  had  formerly 
planted  hedges,  rendering  it  an  easy  task  for  them 
to  approach  unobserved. 

"  At  length  they  reached  the  boundary  of  the 
former  settlement — a  dry,  sandy  soil,  stript  of 
beach,  where  all  vegetation  ceased,  and  only  a  sin- 
gle tall  pandanus  tree,  whose  roots  were  thickly 
interlaced  with  creeping  plants,  formed,  as  it  were, 
the  advanced  post  of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  Be- 


OP     ANIMALS.  193 

hind  this  they  crawled  along,  and  cautiously  raising 
their  heads,  they  saw  several  apes,  at  a  distance  of 
two  or  three  hundred  paces,  who  were  pertly  look- 
ing for  something,  as  they  walked  up  and  down 
the  beach,  while  others  stood  motionless. 

"  It  was  the  long-tailed,  brown  variety,  and 
Frank  was  beginning  to  regret  that  he  had  not  his 
telescope  with  him  to  watch  the  motion  of  these 
strange  beings  more  closely,  when  one  of  them,  a 
tremendous  large  fellow,  began  to  draw  nearer  to 
them.  Carefully  examining  the  ground,  over  which 
he  went  on  all  fours,  he  stood  at  intervals  to  scratch 
himself,  or  to  snap  at  some  insect  that  buzzed 
around  him. 

"  He  came  so  close,  that  Frank  fancied  that  he 
fliust  scent  them,  and  give  the  alarm  to  the  other 
aaonkeys,  when  suddenly  passing  over  a  little  ele- 
vation covered  with  withered,  reedy  grass,  he  here 
discovered  a  party  of  crabs  parading  up  and  down 
on  the  hot  sand.  With  a  bound  he  was  among 
them,  but  not  quick  enough  to  catch  a  single  one  ; 
for  the  crabs,  though  apparently  so  clumsy,  darted 
like  lightning  into  a  quantity  of  small  holes  or 
cavities,  which  made  the  ground  here  resemble  a 
sieve,  and  th«  ape  could  not  thrust  his  paws  after 
them,  for  the  orifice  was  too  narrow. 

The  paandoor  nudged  Frank  gently,  to  draw  his 
attention,  and  they  saw  the  ape,  after  crawling  once 
or  twice  up  and  down  the  small  strip  of  land,  and 


194 

peeping  into  the  various  holes,  with  its  nose  close 
to  the  ground,  suddenly  seated  himself  very  grave- 
ly by  one  of  them,  which  he  fancied  most  suitable. 
He  then  brought  his  long  tale  to  the  front,  thrust 
the  end  of  it  into  the  cavity,  until  he  met  with  an 
obstacle,  and  suddenly  made  a  face,  which  so  amused 
Frank,  that  he  would  have  laughed  loudly,  had  not 
the  mandoor  raised  his  finger  warningly.  and  direct- 
ly the  ape  drew  out  his  extraordinary  line  with  a 
jerk.  At  the  end  of  it,  however,  hung  the  desired 
booty,  a  fat  crab,  by  one  of  its  claws,  and  swinging 
it  round  on  the  ground  with  such  violence  as  to 
make  it  loose  its  hold,  he  took  it  in  his  left  paw, 
picked  up  a  stone  with  the  other,  and  after  crack- 
ing the  shell,  devoured  the  savory  contents  with 
evident  satisfaction. 

"  Four  or  five  he  thus  caught  in  succession,  on 
each  occasion,  when  the  crab  nipped  him,  making 
a  face  of  heroic  resignation  and  pain,  but  each  time 
he  was  successful,  and  he  must  have  found,  in  the 
dainty  dish,  revenge  for  the  nip,  and  abundant 
satisfaction  for  the  pain  he  endured,  or  else  he 
would  not  have  set  to  work  again  so  soon. 

"  Thus,  then,  the  ape,  quite  engaged  with  the 
sport,  and  without  taking  his  eyes  off  the  ground, 
had  approached  to  within  about  twenty  paces  of 
the  party  concealed  behind  the  pandanns  trees. 
Here,  again,  the  ground  was  full  of  holes,  and  look- 
ing out  the  one  he  conjectured  to  be  the  best,  lie 


OF     ANIMALS.  195 

threw  in  his  line  once,  and  probably  felt  that  there 
was  something  alive  within,  for  he  awaited  the  re- 
sult with  signs  of  the  most  eager  attention. 

"  The  affair,  however,  lasted  longer  than  he  an- 
ticipated ;  but,  being  already  well  filled  by  his  past 
successful  hauls,  he  pulled  up  his  knees,  laid  his 
arms  upon  them,  bowed  his  head,  and,  half  closing 
his  eyes,  he  assumed  such  a  resigned,  and  yet  ex- 
quisitely comical  face,  as  only  an  ape  is  capable  of 
putting  on  under  these  circumstances. 

"  But  his  quiet  was  destined  to  be  disturbed  in  a 
manner  as  unsuspected  as  it  was  cruel.  He  must 
have  discerned  some  very  interesting  object  in  the 
clouds,  for  he  was  staring  up  there  fixedly,  when 
he  uttered  a  loud  yell,  left  hold  of  his  knees,  felt 
with  both  hands  for  his  tail,  and  made  a  bound  in 
the  air  as  if  the  ground  under  him  was  beginning 
to  grow  red  hot.  At  the  end  of  his  tail,  however, 
hung  a  gigantic  crab,  torn  with  desperate  energy 
from  his  hiding-place,  and  Frank,  who  could  re- 
strain himself  no  longer,  then  burst  into  a  loud 
laugh. 

"  The  mandoor  at  first  retained  his  gravity  ;  but 
when  the  ape,  alarmed  by  the  strange  sound,  looked 
up  and  saw  men,  and  then  bounded  off  at  full  speed, 
with  the  tormentor  still  dangling  at  the  end  of  his 
tail,  the  old  man  could  no  longer  refrain  either,  and 
they  both 'laughed  till  the  tears  ran  down  their 
cheeks." 


196  MERRY'S   BOOK 


THE  BEARS  AND  BEES. 


A  FABLE. 


S  two  young  bears,  in  wanton  mood, 
.  Forth  issuing  from  a  neighboring  wood, 
Came  where  the  industrious  bees  had  stored, 
In  artful  cells,  their  luscious  hoard,— 
O'erjoyed,  they  seized,  with  eager  haste, 
Luxurious,  on  the  rich  repast. 
Alarmed  at  this,  the  little  crew, 
About  their  ears  vindictive  flew. 

The  beasts,  unable  to  sustain 
The  unequal  combat,  quit  the  plain  ; 
Half  blind  with  rage,  and  mad  with  pain, 
Their  native  shelter  they  regain  :— 
There  sit,  and  now  discreeter  grown, 
Too  late,  their  rashness  to  bemoan, 
And  this,  by  dear  experience  gain, 
That  pleasure  's  ever  bought  with  pain. 

So  when  the  gilded  baits  of  vice 
Are  placed  before  our  longing  eyes, 
With  greedy  haste  we  snatch  our  fill, 
And  swallow  down  the  latent  ill. 
But  when  experience  opes  our  eyes, 
Away  the  fancied  pleasure  flies  ;— 
It  flies,  but  oh !  too  late  we  find 
It  leaves  a  real  sting  behind. 


OP     ANIMALS. 


197 


THE  GIRAFFE. 

THE  Giraffe,  or  Camelopard,  has  been  long  known 
4o  naturalists,  though  they  have  had  but  few 
opportunities  of  examining  them  in  this  country. 
They  are  found  mostly  in  Africa,  and  are  very  do- 
cile and  timid  in  their  native  state.  What  strikes 
you  as  most  peculiar  in  looking  at  them  is  the 
enormous  length  of  their  neck  and  fore  legs.  The 
trunk  of  their  body  is  short  in  proportion  to  their 


198  MERRY'S    BOOK. 

neck.  They  are  as  tall  as  a  small  horse,  and  can 
very  easily  see  what  is  going  on  through  the  upper 
windows  of  the  building  ;  in  fact,  when  they  stretch 
up  their  long,  slim  necks,  it  seems  as  if  their  heads 
would  be  lost  in  the  clouds.  They  feed  upon  the 
leaves  of  trees  mostly,  as  you  see  in  the  engraving, 
though  sometimes  they  take  clover,  barley,  and 
other  grains.  They  chew  the  cud  like  the  deer  ; 
resemble  the  camel  in  the  length  of  their  necks, 
and  the  leopard  in  their  spots.  They  are  hunted 
by  the  natives  in  Africa,  for  the  sake  of  their  large, 
beautiful  skin,  and  for  the  marrow  of  their  bones, 
which  is  considered  a  great  delicacy.  Some  travel- 
ers have  asserted  that  their  flesh  is  a  very  good 
article  of  food. 

As  there  has  been  brought  into  our  country  two 
very  beautiful  Camelopards,  we  believe  the  follow- 
ing account,  taken  from  an  English  publication, 
will  be  quite  agreeable  to  our  young  readers. 

The  Camelopard,  or  Giraffe,  although  known  to 
the  ancients,  and  captured  for  the  purpose  of  add- 
ing to  the  barbarous  exhibitions  of  Rome,*  has 
been  rarely  introduced  to  Europe  in  modern  times  ; 
and  scarcely  ever,  we  believe,  had  Great  Britain  to 
boast  of  a  living  specimen  of  the  Camelopard  with- 
in it,  until  the  one  arrived  which  was  presented  to 

*Pompey,  the  triumvir  with  Crassus  and  Csesar,  had  ten  of  these  animals 
at  one  time  exhibited  at  the  theatre,  where  wild  creatures,  as  previously 
stated,  were  let  loose  upon  each  other. 


OF     ANIMALS.  199 

George  IV.,  and  which  died  shortly  after  its  arrival. 
— The  largest  preserved  specimens,  which  have 
been  exhibited  in  England  are,  we  are  assured,  the 
two  still  to  be  seen  at  the  British  Museum,  which 
we  should  think  are  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  feet 
high  ;  since  they  appear,  in  their  preserved  state, 
much  larger  and  taller  than  the  finest  of  the  living 
specimens  lately  imported  ;  and  of  these  no  less 
than  seven  have  arrived  in  London  within  the  last 
two  months,  previously  to  the  period  of  our  writ- 
ing. Of  these  there  are  four  at  the  Regent's  Park, 
and  three  at  the  Surrey  Zoological  Gardens  ;  the 
latter  being  considerably  larger  than  the  former, 
and  much  more  lively  when  we  saw  them.  At 
each  of  the  menageries  the  Giraffes  are  attended 
by  three  Numidian  keepers  ;  but  the  highest  of  the 
four  which  first  arrived,  does  not,  we  are  assured, 
exceed  eleven  feet ;  we  have  seen  them  only  when 
they  were  lying  down,  upon  which  occasions  it  was 
said  they  were  not  to  be  disturbed. 

Of  the  three  which  are  at  the  Surrey  Gardens, 
two  are  males,  and  about  from  thirteen  to  fourteen 
feet  in  height  ;  the  female  much  smaller.  Mr. 
Cross  informed  us  that  the  largest  of  the  males  was 
fourteen  feet  high,  two  years  and  a  half  old,  and 
that  the  two  others  were  about  eighteen  months. 
The  expense  of  the  capture,  and  subsequent  re- 
moval of  these  seven  animals  to  this  country,  must 
have  been  very  great  j  and  ^ach  party  of  them, 


200 

still  attended  by  their  Numidian  friends,  shows 
they  require  more  than  ordinary  care. 

When  we  saw  the  three  large  ones  at  the  Surrey 
Gardens  they  were  lively  and  playful  as  fawns,  and 
not  in  the  least  alarmed  at  the  appearance  of  their 
numerous  visitors.  They  partook  of  their  food,  as 
inclination  prompted  them,  from  a  trough  which 
was  placed  at  the  height  of  an  ordinary  first  floor 
window. 

The  Giraffe,  in  a  natural  state,  will  grow  to  the 
great  height  of  seventeen  feet,  from  the  hoof  to  the 
top  of  the  head,  whereon  he  has  two  small,  erect, 
and  obtuse  protuberances,  like  horns,  which  appear 
to  be  covered  with  a  tough  skin.  The  shape  of  his 
head  is  somewhat  like  that  of  the  race-horse,  yet 
slender  as  the  stag's  ;  his  eye  is  dark  and  full ; 
while  his  tongue  is  so  peculiarly  formed  that  he  is 
enabled  to  extend  it  a  considerable  length  ;  and  by 
encircling  with  it  the  tops  of  the  light  branches 
and  leaves  of  the  trees  upon  which  be  feeds,  he 
thus  obtains  the  chief  part  of  his  food.  His  neck, 
when  he  stands  erect,  is  graceful  and  swan-like  ; 
his  shoulders  are  high,  and  fore  legs  very  long  ; 
the  back  slopes  downwards  from  the  bottom  of  the 
neck  to  the  insertion  of  the  tail,  which  is  thin,  with 
a  tuft  at  the  end.  The  fore  legs  are  about  two- 
fifths  of  the  creature's  height,  since  they  were  just 
six  feet,  in  one  which  was  fifteen  feet  high,  as  mea- 
sured by  Mr.  John  Campbell. 


OF     ANIMALS.  201 

The  body  of  the  Giraffe  is  remarkably  short,  ac- 
cording to  its  extreme  height,  and  is  not  the  length 
of  the  neck  from  the  top  of  the  shoulder  to  the 
tail  ;  the  legs  are  slender  and  have  a  tuft  of  hair  on 
the  knees  ;  the  hoofs  are  hard  and  cloven,  like 
other  animals  that  chew  the  cud  ;  and  the  color  of 
the  skin  is  a  light  ash,  or  dun,  marked  all  over  with 
dusky  red,  or  chocolate-colored  spots.  In  their 
native  solitudes  they  are  hunted  by  the  Arabs  for 
their  flesh — which  is  good  eating — and  their  skins. 
They  fly  from  the  least  noise,  and  ascend  a  preci- 
pice with  the  swiftness  and  security  of  the  goat, 
the  hoofs  of  both  being  similarly  formed  ;  but 
though  ever  ready  to  retreat,  yet,  if  closely  pressed, 
this  timid  creature  then  uses  its  hoofs  in  its  defence 
with  the  rapidity  of  lightning,  and  often  not  with- 
out effect. 

M.  Thibaut,  who  procured  the  Giraffes  for  the 
proprietors  of  the  menagerie  in  Regent's  Park,  in 
a  letter  dated  the  2d  of  January,  1836,  and  address- 
ed to  their  secretary,  says,  "  I  availed  myself  of  the 
emulation  which  prevailed  among  the  Arabs  ;  and, 
as  the  season  was  far  advanced  and  favorable,  I 
proceeded  immediately  to  Kordofan.*  It  was  on 
the  15th  of  August,  1834,  that  I  saw  the  first  two 
Giraffes.  A  rapid  chase  on  horses  accustomed  to 
the  fatigues  of  the  desert,  put  us  in  possession, 

*Kordofan  is  a  country  of  Africa  lying  to  the  westward  of  Nubia,  or  Sen- 
naar. 


202  MERRY'S   BOOK 

at  the  end  of  three  hours,  of  the  largest  of  the  two  ; 
the  mother  of  one  of  those  now  in  my  charge.  Un- 
able to  take  her  alive,  the  Arabs  killed  her  with 
blows  of  the  sabre,  and  cutting  her  to  pieces,  car- 
ried the  meat  to  the  head-quarters,  which  we  had 
established  in  a  wooded  situation  ;  an  arrangement 
necessary  to  our  own  comfort,  and  to  secure  pas- 
turage for  the  camels  of  both  sexes  which  we  had 
brought  with  us  in  aid  of  the  object  of  our  chase. 
We  deferred  until  the  morrow  the  pursuit  of  the 
young  Giraffe,  which  my  companions  assured  me 
they  would  have  no  difficulty  in  again  discovering." 

On  the  following  day  the  party  started  at  day- 
break, "  and  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,"  says 
M.  Thibaut,  "  I  had  the  happiness  to  find  myself  in 
possession  of  the  Giraffe."  He  is  silent  as  to  the 
means  adopted  in  its  capture,  but  says,  "  a  premium 
was  given  to  the  hunter  whose  horse  first  came  up 
with  the  animal  ;"  the  chase  having  been  "  pursued 
through  brambles  and  thorny  trees." 

He  thus,  proceeds  : — "  Possessed  of  this  Giraffe, 
it  was  necessary  to  rest  for  three  or  four  days  in 
order  to  render  it  sufficiently  tame.  During  this 
period,  an  Arab  holds  it  at  the  end  of  a  long  cord. 
By  degrees  it  becomes  accustomed  to  the  presence 
of  man,  and  takes  a  little  nourishment.  To  furnish 
milk  for  it,  I  had  brought  with  me  female  camels. 
It  became  gradually  resigned  to  its  condition,  and 


OF     ANIMALS.  203 

was  soon  willing  to  follow,  in  short  stages,  the  route 
of  our  caravan. 

"  The  first  Giraffe,  captured  at  four  days'  journey 
to  the  southwest  of  Kordofan,  will  enable  us  to 
form  some  judgment  as  to  its  probable  age  at  pre- 
sent, as  I  have  observed  its  growth  and  its  mode  of 
life.  When  it  first  came  into  my  hands,  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  insert  a  finger  into  its  mouth,  in  order  to 
deceive  it  into  a  belief  that  the  nipple  of  its  dam 
was  there  ;  then  it  sucked  freely.  According  to 
the  opinion  of  the  Arabs,  and  to  the  length  of  time 
that  I  have  had  it,  this  first  Giraffe  cannot,  at  the 
utmost,  be  more  than  nine  months  old.  Since  I 
have  had  it,  its  size  has  fully  doubled." 

As  we  cannot  imagine  that  any  European  can  be 
better  qualified  than  M.  Thibaut,  to  speak  of  the 
habits  of  the  Giraffe,  we  quote  the  following  pas- 
sages from  his  description  of  them.  He  tells  us 
that  its  first  run  is  so  exceedingly  rapid  that  the 
swiftest  horse,  if  unaccustomed  to  the  desert,  would 
scarcely  come  up  with  it.  If  it  reach  a  mountain, 
it  passes  the  heights  with  rapidity  ;  its  feet — as  al- 
ready observed — being  like  those  of  the  goat,  en- 
dowing it  with  the  dexterity  of  that  animal ;  and 
with  such  incredible^power  it  bounds  over  the  ra- 
vines, that  horses  cannot,  in  such  situations,  com- 
pete with  it." 

The  Giraffe  is  fond  of  wooded  country,  where,  as 
we  have  said,  leaves  of  trees  are  its  principal  food  ; 


204 

its  conformation  allowing  it  to  reach  the  tops."  The 
one  spoken  of  above,  killed  by  the  Arabs,  measured 
twenty-one  (French)  feet  from  the  ears  to  the  hoofs. 
Green  herbs  are  very  agreeable  to  this  animal,  but 
its  structure  does  not  admit  of  its  feeding  on  them 
in  the  same  manner  as  our  domestic  quadrupeds, 
such  as  the  ox  and  the  horse.  It  is  obliged  to 
straddle  widely  ;  its  fore  feet  are  gradually  stretch- 
ed apart  from  each  other,  and  its  neck  being  then 
bent  into  a  semicircular  form,  it  is  thus  enabled  to 
collect  the  grass  ;  but  on  the  slightest  noise  the 
timid  animal  raises  itself  with  rapidity,  and  has  re- 
course to  immediate  flight.  It  eats  with  delicacy, 
taking  its  food  leaf  by  leaf ;  and,  unlike  the  camel, 
rejecting  thorns  and  coarse  herbage. 

M.  Thibaut  obtained  five  Giraffes  at  Kordofan  ; 
but,  owing  to  the  cold  weather  of  December,  four 
of  them  died,  leaving  him  with  only  the  one  which 
he  had  at  first  procured.  He,  however,  persevered, 
remaining  three  months  in  the  desert ;  and  at  length 
'captured  three  others,  all  smaller  than  the  one 
which,  it  may  be  fairly  said,  he  bred  by  hand. 
With  these  four  he  has,  after  all  his  toils  in  an  in- 
hospitable desert,  safely  arrived  in  London.  There 
are  three  males  and  a  female:  and,  having  shown 
the  trouble — the  expense  attending  which  may  be 
imagined — of  obtaining  these  living  rarities,  it  will 
readily  be  supposed  that  less  of  both  could  not 
have  been  spared  in  procuring  those,  which  are  so 


OP     ANIMALS.  205 

much  larger,  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Cross,  and 
which  need  not,  therefore,  be  narrated. 

In  its  present  domestic  state.  "  as  the  grass  on 
which  it  is  now  fed,"  adds  Mr.  Thibaut,  "  must  be 
cut  for  it,  it  takes  the  upper  part  only,  which  it 
chews  until  it  perceives  the  stem  to  become  too 
coarse.  Great  care  is  necessary  to  its  preserva- 
tion, especially  cleanliness.  It  is  extremely  fond  of 
society,  and  is  very  sensible  ;  I  have  observed  one 
of  them  shed  tears  when  it  no  longer  saw  its  com- 
panions, or  the  persons  who  were  in  the  habit  of 
attending  to  it.'^ 

In  conclusion,  M.  Thibaut  adds,  that  the  Giraffes 
in  his  possession  were  "  capable  of  walking  for  six 
hours  a  day  without  the  slightest  fatigue  ;"  which, 
in  growing  animals,  shows  the  great  strength  they 
must  possess  when  in  their  full  vigor.  Those  in 
the  Surrey  Gardens  were  fifty-six  days  in  coming 
over  to  England.  We  have  already  spoken  of  the 
graceful  appearance  of  the  neck  of  the  Giraffe, 
when  he  stands  erect ;  but  we  cannot  particularize 
any  other  part  of  his  form  as  corresponding  with 
it  ;  so  far  from  this,  indeed,  he  appears  altogether 
a  more  awkward  animal  than  many  with  which  we 
are  better  acquainted.  In  his  wild  state,  and  fly- 
ing over  the,  wastes  of  an  African  landscape  with 
the  swiftness  of  a  hunted  roe,  he  may  appear,  if  not 
a  symmetrical,  yet  a  beautiful  object  in  the  distance. 
But  we  cannot  admit  that  it  is  the  elegance  of  his 


206 

proportions,  or  the  gracefulness  of  his  movements, 
which  render  him  so  great  an  object  of  attraction 
among  us.  The  action  of  his  walk,  trot,  and  canter, 
appear  very  awkward  ;  the  more  especially,  in  con- 
sequence of  moving  both  legs  on  the  same  side  at 
the  same  time,  and  not  transversely  as  do  other 
quadrupeds  ;  and  to  the  comparative  shortness  of 
his  body — at  every  step  the  hinder  foot  not  follow- 
ing the  fore  in  a  direct  line,  but  passing  it  on  the 
outside,  and  reaching  considerably  beyond  it. 

It  is  a  rarity  which  deservedly  renders  the  Gi- 
raffe an  object  of  attraction  among  us,  while  his 
gentle  nature  at  once  confirms  all  favorable  impres- 
sions which  might  have  been  previously  created  in 
his  favor  ;  and,  certainly,  the  great  expense,  enter- 
prise and  perseverance  employed  to  obtain  these 
productions  of  the  desert,  both  in  a  national  and 
scientific  point  of  view,  ought  to,  as  we  have  no 
doubt  it  will,  be  liberally  compensated. 


0  F     ANIMALS  . 


207 


THE  WITCH  RABBIT.      '• 

ABBITS  were  always  great 
pets  with  me,  either  as  a 
favorite  around  the  house, 
in  the  garden,  or  served  up 
on  the  table.  We  had  gone 
out  upon  our  morning  walk, 
and  as  I  was  not  in  very 
good  health,  Mr.  W.  car- 
ried his  gun  along  for  the 
purpose  of  shooting  a  young 
squirrel  or  rabbit,  which  would  be  more  dainty  food 
for  my  palled  appetite.  We  went  over  the  brook 
into  a  bushy  field,  covered  with  a  thiqk  growth  of 
hazel  and  brambles,  with  here  and  there  a  large  old 
tree  left  standing. 

We  were  pushing  our  way  along  a  narrow  path, 
when,  hearing  a  sudden  rustle  among  the  dried 
leaves,  we  saw  the  white  tail  of  a  rabbit  go  bob- 
bing up  and  down  as  he  went  bounding  off.  He 
did  not  go  far,  however,  but  stopped  in  sight,  just 
in  the  thickest  of  all  the  hazel  clumps. 

We  could  see  him  through  the  slim  stems,  stand- 
ing erect,  with  his  great  wide  eyes  staring  at  us, 
just  as  you  see  him  in  the  cut. 

"A  fine  young  rabbit !  and  he  will  make  you  a 
mce«aeal !"  said  Mr.  W.,  as  he  raised  his  gun  to 


208 

fire.  Bang !  went  the  gun  ;  but  Mr.  Rabbit  did 
not  even  wink. 

Now,  Mr.  W.  prides  himself  particularly  upon 
being  one  of  the  best  marksmen  Kentucky  has 
ever  produced.  "Why,"  he  exclaimed,  with  an  ex- 
pression of  mortification,  "miss  a  rabbit  not  more 
than  twenty  paces  off !  how  ridiculous !  Why,  the 
creature  is  not  even  scared !  Wait  a  bit,  my  little 
man,  and  I'll  see  if  I  can  not  scare  you  some  1"  and 
he  proceeded  rapidly  to  re-load,  when  to  his  disap- 
pointment he  found  that  in  getting  over  the  fence 
he  had  lost  the  stopper  to  his  shot-bag,  and  all  his 
small  shot  was  gone,  except  about  half  a  dozen. 
But  he  happened  to  have  a  few  rifle-bullets  in  his 
pocket,  so  he  put  two  of  these  into  his  gun  along 
with  the  half  dozen  small  shot. 

Mr.  Rabbit,  in  the  mean  time,  stood  as  immova- 
bly staring  at  us  as  if  he  had  been  some  goblin 
statuette,  hewn  from  brown  stone,  with  great  ebony 
set  eyes,  and  placed  in  some  green  nook  to  mock 
the  passing  sportsman  ;  while  the  elfin  creatures 
peeped  from  out  the  flowers,  and  clapped  their 
hands  in  the  mockery  of  tiny  glee. 

Bang  !  went  the  gun  again  1  and  the  white  spots 
showed  themselves  along  the  hazels  in  a  direct 
line  with  the  creature.  But  not  a  motion  did  Mr. 
Hare  make ! 

"  How  strange  !"  said  Mr.  W.  with  a  perplexed 
air.  "  You  see  the  hazel  stems  are  literally  rifled 


OP     ANIMALS. 


209 


all  in  a  line  with  the  creature,  and  yet  he  does  not 
stir  1  Can  it  be  possible  that  he  has  died  in  that 
strange  attitude  ?  That  is  absurd  !  However,  we 
will  try  him  again  I"  and  down  went  two  more  bul- 
lets, which  were  the  last. 

Bang !  went  the  gun  again.  No  more  white 
spots  appeared  upon  the  hazel  stems,  but  Mr.  Rab- 
bit remained  still  immovable.  I  could  not  help 
laughing  at  Mr.  W.'s  humorously  perplexed  look 
as  he  exclaimed — 


"  Well,  the  creature  must  be  a  Witch  Rabbit, 
surely  !  I  have  no  more  shot,  but  I  am  not  going 
to  give  it  up  so  !  Here's  a  hazel  stem  which  will 
about  fit  the  bore  of  the  gun,  and  they  say  that 
hazel  is  deadly  to  witches,  sol  will  shoot  it  at  him. 


210  MERRY'S    BOOK 

Bang  !  went  the  gun  once  more,  and  the  rabbit 
remained,  if  anything,  more  immovable  still.  Mr. 
W.  stared  a  moment,  and  laughing  said — 

11 1  am  afraid  this  witch  is  too  strong  for  even  the 
spell  of  the  hazel !  You  go  round  to  the  brook, 
and  get  me  a  handful  of  the  small  gravel  over  which 
it  runs.  I  have  frequently  shot  birds  with  it  when 
my  shot  gave  out." 

I  clambered  the  fence,  and  was  soon  back  with 
the  gravel,  and  to  my  great  amusement,  as  well  as 
astonishment,  saw  Mr.  Rabbit  still  standing  there, 
with  his  great  wide  unwinking  eyes  staring  at  us. 

Mr.  W.  fired  several  times  with  the  gravel,  with 
the  same  result  as  before,  until  we  both  burst  into 
shouts  of  laughter,  which  proved  to  have  greater 
effect  upon  our  Witch  Rabbit  than  all  the  roaring 
of  the  gun,  and  he  went  bounding  slowly  off  through 
the  thicket ;  and  as  we  turned  to  go,  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  him  a  short  distance  off,  staring  after  us 
with  the  same  immovable  stare. 

We  had  a  good  laugh  over  the  incident  as  we 
returned  home.  Mr.  W.  accounted  for  the  quaint 
incident  by  saying  he  had  probably  lost  the  shot 
of  the  first  charge  out  of  his  gun,  by  the  loosening 
of  the  light  wad  without  his  being  aware  of  it — for 
it  will  be  remembered,  there  were  no  white  marks 
after  the  first  shot.  The  other  shots  with  the  two 
bullets,  although  in  a  straight  line,  were  glanced 
by  the  thick  hazel  stems.  The  sticks  were  also 


OF      ANIMALS.  211 

glanced,  and  the  gravel  we  found,  on  closer  exami- 
nation, to  be  of  so  light  a  quality,  that  it  could  only 
be  propelled  a  few  feet  from  the  muzzle  of  the 
gun. 

We  returned  the  next  morning,  and  found  our 
witch  in  the  same  "form,"  and  Mr.  W.  shot  him 
easily,  running,  at  the  first  fire. 

Thus  ended  the  mystery  of  the  "Witch  Rabbit, 
which  a  superstitious  person  would  have  insisted 
all  his  life  in  regarding  as  a  supernatural  event. 
It  might  finally  have  become  a  legendary  wonder. 
Such  is,  undoubtedly,  the  origin  of  the  marvelous 
tales  which  fill  the  early  literature  of  all  lands  con- 
cerning weird  animals. 


THE  RABBITS. 

"  I  wish  that  you  would  come  and  see, 
What  Johnny  Taylor  offers  me, 

Two  rabbits  small  and  white  ! 
Do  let  me  keep  them  in  the  yard : 
I'll  feed  them  well  and  be  their  guard, 

And  nurse  them  day  and  night. 

Do  not  say  '  no,'  my  dear  papa, 

They  shall  not  plague  you  nor  mamma, 

For  I  will  keep  them  clean ; 
How  very  happy  they  should  be, 
If  they,  poor  things,  belonged  to  me  ? 

Such  beauties  ne'er  were  seen  !" 


212 


MERRY'S   BOOK 


"  Susan,  could  you  in  comfort  dwell,1 
Within  a  dark  and  narrow  cell, 

ConfinM  by  bolts  and  locks  1 
Or  can  my  darling  girl  suppose, 
Those  rabbits  e'er  could  feel  repose, 

Shut  up  in  yonder  box  1 
To  keep  them  thus  would  be  unkind, 
For  they  by  nature  were  design'd 

To  ramble  wild  and  free. 
Then  send  them  to  their  hills  away  : 
There  let  them  scamper,  frisk  and  play, 

Enjoying  liberty." 


OF     ANIMALS.  213 

• 

THE  GOOD  DOG  AND  BAD  BOY. 


£  0  guard  his  store  at  night,  my  neighbor 
keeps  a  noble  Newfoundland  dog.  Not 
long  since  I  was  passing  his  store  at  mid-day, 
f  when  he  came  out  with  Towser  at  his  heels  and 
a  pail  in  his  hand.  He  told  Towser  to  take  the 
pail  and  carry  it  to  the  house,  a  few  rods  across 
the  way.  The  dog  did  not  whine  over  the  com- 
mand, nor  curl  his  tail  and  refuse  to  go  ;  no,  not 
he.  He  obeyed  at  once,  took  the  pail  in  his  mouth 
and  away  he  went  to  the  house.  I  watched  hint  to 
see  how  well  he  fulfilled  his  master's  orders.  The 
door  was  closed,  so  he  sat  down  on  the  piazza  and 
waited  a  welcome.  Five  minutes  passed,  and  no 
one  opened  the  door  ;  yet  the  dog  was  patient  and 
faithful.  Five  minutes  more  passed,  and  just  as  I 
was  about  to  leave,  he  was  seen  from  the  window 
and  admitted  with  his  charge.  Faithful  dog,  thought 
I,  never  to  refuse  obedience,  or  wait  for  the  second 
bidding. 

Then  I  thought  of  little  Willie  S  -  ,  who  said 
to  his  mother  in  my  presence,  "No,  I  can't  do  it  ; 
let  Ned  go  —  he  is  not  doing  anything." 

"Willie,"  exclaimed  his  mother  in  a  commanding 


214 


MERRY'S   BOOK 


OF     ANIMALS.  215 

tone,  "go  and  bring  that  wood  immediately  ;  don't 
let  me  have  to  tell  you  again." 

The  little  fellow  was  mending  his  cart,  but  he 
dropped  his  hammer,  now  that  he  saw  there  was 
no  escape,  and  started.  "I  always  have  the  wood 
to  bring,"  he  muttered  as  he  left  the  room.  He 
obeyed  very  reluctantly.  He  went  pouting  and 
murmuring  after  the  wood,  and  when  he  returned 
he  threw  it  into  the  box  with  a  violence  that  threat- 
ened to  break  it  to  pieces.  His  mother  looked 
ashamed  and  heart-sick.  I  pitied  her  from  the 
depths  of  my  soul.  Think  of  it.  Her  son  was  less, 
obedient  than  the  dog  ;  for  the  dog  went  cheerful- 
ly, wagging  his  bushy  tail,  and  lifting  his  head,  as 
if  to  say,  "  I  obey." 

Learn  a  good  lesson  from  the  example  of  the  dog, 
and  never  let  it  be  said  of  you,  "Towser  is  more 
obedient  than  Willie." 


f  f  TjlATHER,"  said  a  cobbler's  son  as  he  was  peg- 
L    ging  away  at  an  old  shoe,  "they  say  that 
trout  bite  good  now." 

"Well,  well,"  -replied  the  old  gentleman,  "you 
stick  to  your  work,  and  they  won't  bite  you." 


216        MERRY'S  BOOK 


A  REMARKABLE  CAT, 


A  CAT,  which  had  been  long  remarked  as  one 
of  the  wildest  of  those  which  frequented  a 
barn  on  the  borders  of  a  wood  in  Ayrshire, — so 
wild,  indeed,  as  to  be  seldom  seen, — was  several 
times,  during  a  sharp  frost,  observed,  with  no  little 
surprise,  to  pass  and  repass  into  the  adjacent  farm- 
house, which  it  had  not,  for  some  years,  been  known 
either  to  enter  or  Approach.  It  might  have  been 
inferred  that  it  was  compelled  by  hunger,  had  not 
this  been  the  best  season  for  catching  birds  ;  but, 
in  one  of  its  stealthy  visits,  it  was  seen  snugly  coil- 
ed up  beside  a  baby  in  the  cradle,  to  the  no  small 
horror  of  the  mother,  who  imagined,  in  accordance 


OP     ANIMALS.  217 

with  popular  prejudice,  that  it  had  come  to  suck 
the  baby's  breath.  All  that  could  be  done  to  per- 
suade her  of  the  impossibility  of  the  cat  doing  this 
was  of  no  avail,  and  orders  were  immediately  given 
to  every  servant  on  the  farm  to  kill  the  poor  cat 
wherever  she  could  be  found.  Her  caution  and 
agility,  however,  were  long  successful  in  saving 
her  ;  and,  though  the  persecution  she  thus  expe- 
rienced rendered  her,  if  possible,  much  wilder  than 
before,  yet  she  "was  not  thereby  deterred — not 
even  after  being  wounded  by  a  pitchfork,  and  her 
leg  lamed  by  throwing  a  hatchet  at  her — from  pay- 
ing a  daily  visit  to  the  baby  in  the  cradle,  because 
it  was  the  warmest  place  within  her  knowledge  ; 
and,  next  to  food,  she  considered  warmth  as  indis- 
pensable to  life.  She  persisted  thus  in  venturing 
to  the  cradle,  till  she  was  at  length  intercepted  and 
killed. 


218 


MERRY    S      BOOK 


THE  HORNED  OWL  ; 


NEVER    TRUST    TO    APPEARANCES 


HAVE  a  neighbor,  who  had  a  flock 
of  hens  that  roosted  on  the  trees 
around  his  house.  One  night  he 
heard  a  great  commotion  among  the  feather- 
ed group,  and  suspecting  some  animal  wish- 
ed a  fowl  for  his  breakfast,  he  took  a  gun  and  went 
out.  Sure  enough  the  depredator  was  there,  and 
he  supposed  by  its  looks  that  it  was  a  barn-yard 
owl  with  the  chicken  in  its  claws,  just  making  its 
exit,  without  stopping  to  say,  lk  Good-bye."  The 
man  fired,  and  the  thief  dropped  to  the  ground, 
quitting  his  hold  upon  the  chicken,  and  helpless 
himself  with  a  broken  wing. 

On  inspection  he  proved  to  be  a  great  horned 
owl,  a  species  rather  rare  in  this  region.  As  a 
curiosity,  he  was  taken  into  one  of  the  village  stores 
for  exhibition. 

A  group  of  boys  were  collected  around  him,  but 
rather  afraid  of  his  owlship,  even  in  his  disabled 
state.  As  they  stood  at  a  respectful  distance  from 
the  bird,  a  gentleman,  remarkable  for  his  love  oi* 


OF     ANIMALS.  219 

animals  and  his  dislike  of  boys,  came  into  the  store. 
"  Ah  I  indeed,  a  horned  owl !  a  great  curiosity ! 
What  are  you  afraid  of,  boys  ?  No  animal  will  ever 
hurt  you  if  he  is  properly  treated.  There,  now, 
my  good  fellow  1"  he  said,  pushing  aside  the  boys, 
and  laying  his  hand  upon  the  mottled  plumage  of 
the  bird,  whose  drooping  wing  and  downcast  look 
made  him  appear  like  a  pining  captive,  "I  am  sor- 
ry for  you."  The  bird  no  sooner  felt  the  pressure 
of  the  hand  than  he  started,  threw  out  his  large 
sharp  claws,  inflicting  a  wound  upon  the  gentle- 
man's hand,  which  made  him  regret  his  misplaced 
confidence  for  some  weeks. 

This  same  gentleman  came  into  my  garden  once, 
as  I  was  looking  at  the  sun  through  a  smoked  glass, 
during  an  eclipse.  It  was  at  the  moment  of  great' 
est  obscuration,  when  there  was  a  hush  in  all  na« 
ture,  as  if  the  pall  of  death  were  about  to  be  spread 
over  the  earth.  My  own  heart  was  full  of  awe  and 
wonder,  and  I  was  thinking  of  the  desolation  which 
would  follow  if  God  should  withdraw  the  light  and 
heat  of  the  sun  wholly  from  us,  when  a  voice  near 
said,  hastily,  "I  must  go  up  to  the  pasture  quick, 
for  my  cows  may  be  afraid." 

I  turned,  and  he  was  making  his  way  out  of  the 
gate  as  fast  as  possible,  while  my  husband  who 
stood  near  with  a  glass  in  his  hand,  was  smiling  as 
he  watched  his  hasty  departure. 


220 


MERRY' s   BOOK . 


REYNARD,  THE  FILIBUSTER. 


A  TERRIBLE  fellow  was  Reynard  for  stealing, 
A  trade  he  pursued  without  conscience  or  feeling ; 
He  cared  no  more  for  a  crying  hen 
Than  the  pestilence  cares  for  suffering  men. 

He  would  creep  right  up  to  a  well-set  roost, 

And  help  himself  to  what  he  liked  most ; 

And  would  tear  young  chickens  right  out  of  the  arms 

Of  screaming  fathers  and  fluttering  ma'ams. 

Or,  leaving  the  chickens  to  shirk  as  they  could, 
He  would  tear  the  fond  mother  away  from  her  brood, 
Making  no  more  count  of  the  "  family  figure,** 
Than  a  sheriff  would  do  in  seizing  a  beggar. 

What  chickens  to  orphanage  suddenly  brought, 
What  ducklings  or  geese  in  extremities  caught ; 
What  sensitive  fowls  rendered  childless,  or  widdercd, 
This  hard  filibuster  in  no  wise  considered. 


OF     ANIMALS.  221 

He  prowled  in  the  barn-yard,  he  skulked  in  the  hedge, 
Wherever  through  crevice  or  crack  he  could  wedge ; 
He  was  sly,  he  was  shrewd,  he  was  cunning  and  prudent, 
There  were  some  things  he  could  do,  and  some  things  he  couldn't. 

He  could  run,  he  could  hide,  he  could  bkulk,  he  could  fly, 
He  had  to  his  safety  a  vigilant  eye; 
But — there's  always  a  but,  soon  or  late,  for  the  sinner — 
He  had  ventured  too  far  to  be  always  a  winner. 

He  had  fattened  on  chickens,  and  ducklings,  and  geese, 
Till  the  fattest  and  fairest  were  quite  common-place 
And  daintly  seeking  a  dinner  more  rare, 
He  had  poached  on  the  park  and  abstracted  a,  hare. 

This  was  reckoned  too  much  for  the  gentry  to  stand, 
'Twas  a  crime — 'twas  a  trespass — the  laws  of  the  land, 
Which  made  nothing  of  common  folks'  chickens  and  hens, 
By  statute  protected  gentlemen's  pens. 

The  fever  was  up.     Poor  Reynard  was  doomed, 
A  vagabond,  fugitive,  outcast,  presumed 
To  have  no  condition  but  that  of  a  thief, 
From  whom  the  said  gentry  demanded  relief. 

A  hunt  was  got  up  by  the  true  law-abiders, 
There  were  all  sorts  of  horses,  and  all  sorts  of  riders, 
Determined  to  get  on  the  track  of  the  rogue, 
And  make  him,  if  found  in  his  hole,  disembogue. 

Now  a  hole  Reynard  had,  'neath  the  roots  of  a  tree, 

He  thought  none  would  ever  discover  but  he, 

A  hole  so  peculiarly  guarded  without, 

You  would  say,  should  you  see  it,  'twas  safe,  without  doubt. 

And  then,  as  if  taking  the  hint  from  the  creature, 
Whom  the  dog  Noble  pestered  with  bark,  (vide  Beechor,) 
The  tree  that  protected  his  cabin  was  hollow, 
And  furnished  a  chamber  where  no  dog  could  follow. 


MERRY    S    BOOK 


THE  FOX. 

Well,  the  hunters  turned  out,  and  day  after  day 
They  scoured  the  beat  in  the  usual  way : 
But  Reynard,  accustomed  by  moonlight  to  scout, 
Stayed  snugly  at  home  while  the  hunters  were  out.' 

But  finding,  one  night,  a  new  batch  of  fat  chickens, 
And  relishing  greatly  the  delicate  pickings, 
He  staid  out  so  late  the  rare  feast  to  consume, 
That  morning  o'ertook  him  while  hurrying  home. 

So  a  hunter,  who  started  with  earliest  light, 

Observed  the  sly  rascal,  and  cut  off  his  flight; 

He  sounded  his  bugle,  and  soon  the  whole°pack 

Of  hounds,  boys,  and  huntsmen  were  dowu  on  his  track. 


OF     ANIMALS. 

Suffice  it  to  say— that  Reynard,  the  cunning, 
Had  eaten  so  much  it  affected  his  running ; 
And  ere  he  had  finished  two  miles  of  the  chase, 
The  hounds  overtook  him  and  cut  short  his  race. 


223 


224 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


THE  OPOSSUM. 


HUNTING  THE  OPOSSUM. — The  hunting  of  the  opos- 
sum is  a  favorite  sport  with  the  country  people  in 
Virginia,  who  frequently  go  out  with  their  dogs 
at  night,  after  the  autumnal  frosts  have  begun  and 
the  persimmon  fruit  is  in  its  most  delicious  state. 

The  opossum,  as  soon  as  he  discovers  the  ap- 
proach of  his  enemies,  lies  perfectly  close  to  the 
branch,  or  places  himself  snugly  in  the  angle  where 
two  limbs  separate  from  each  other.  The  dogs, 
however,  soon  announce  the  fact  of  his  presence  by 
their  baying,  and  the  hunter  ascending  the  tree 
discovers  the  branch  upon  wlm-h  the  animal  is  seat- 
ed, and  begins  to  shake  it  \\iih  ^reat  violence  to 
alarm  and  cause  him  to  iv.Uix  his  hold.  This  is 
soon  effected,  and  the  opossum  attempting  to  es- 


OF     ANIMALS.  225 

cape  to  another  limb,  is  pursued  immediately,  and 
the  shaking  is  renewed  with  greater  violence,  un- 
til at  length  the  terrified  quadruped  allows  himselt 
to  drop  to  the  ground,  where  hunters  or  dogs  are 
prepared  to  despatch  him. 

Should  the  hunter,  as  frequently  happens,  be  un- 
accompanied by  dogs  when  the  opossum  falls  to  the 
ground,  it  does  not  immediately  make  its  escape, 
but  steals  slowly  and  quietly  to  a  little  distance, 
and  then  gathering  itself  into  as  small  a  "compass  as 
possible,  remains  as  still  as  if  dead.  Should  there 
Be  any  quantity  of  grass  or  underwood  near  the 
tree,  this  apparently  simple  artifice  is  frequently 
sufficient  to  secure  the  animal's  escape,  as  it  is  difficult 
by  moonlight,  or  in  the  shadow  of  the  tree  to  dis- 
tinguish it ;  and  if  the  hunter  has  not  carefully  ob- 
served the  spot  where  it  fell,  his  labor  is  often  in 
vain.  This  circumstance,  however,  is  generally  at- 
tended to,  and  the  opossum  derives  but  little  from 
his  instinctive  artifice. 

After  remaining  in  this  apparently  lifeless  con- 
dition for  a  considerable  time,  or  so  long  as  any 
noise  indicative  of  danger  can  be  heard,  the  opos- 
sum slowly  unfolds  himself,  and  creeping  as  closely 
as  possible  upon  the  ground,  would  fain  sneak  off 
unperceived.  Upon  a  shout  or  outcry  in  any  tone 
from  his  persecutor,  he  immediately  renews  his 
death-like  attitude  and  stillness. 

If  then  approached,  moved  or  handled,  he  is  still 


226  MERRY'S   BOOK 

seemingly  dead,  and  might  deceive  any  one  not  ac- 
customed to  his  actions.  This  feigning  is  repeated 
as  frequently  as  opportunity  is  allowed  him  of  at- 
tempting to  escape,  and  is  known  so  well  to  the 
country  folks  as  to  have  long  since  passed  into  a 
proverb.  He  is  playing  "possum  "  is  applied  with 
great  readiness  by  them  to  any  one  who  is  thought 
to  act  deceitfully,  or  wishes  to  appear  what  he  is 
not. 


OP     ANIMALS 


227 


AMONG-  the  several  species  of  the  Lynx,  some 
are  found  in  Asia  and  Africa,  with  black  tips 
on  their  ears,  which  make  it  a  very  conspicuous 
animal.  It  lives  on  small  quadrupeds,  and  birds, 
which  it  pursues  even  to  the  tops  of  trees.  The 
Lynx  has  never  been  tamed — always  when  confined 
in  a  cage,  it  snarls  at  all  who  approach.  The  face 
resembles  the  cat's,  which  animal  it  seems  to  come 
near  in  the  link  of  beings.  It  is  larger,  however,  al- 
ways being  about  two  feet  long,  and  more  than  a 
foot  in  height.  The  Canada  Lynx  has  longer  and 


228 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


more  curly  fur,  or  almost  hair  ;  and  is  remarkable 
for  its  gait.  Instead  of  walking,  it  always  bounds 
from  all  four  feet  at  once,  with  the  back  arched. 
It  feeds  principally  on  the  American  hare.  It  is 
about  three *feet  long.  The  natives  eat  its  flesh, 
which  is  white  and  firm,  and  much  like  the  flesh  of 
the  hare.  Its  skin  is  an  important  article  of  com- 
merce, and  many  thousands  are  yearly  exported. 


OF     ANIMALS.  229 

THE  AGES  OF  ANIMALS. 


ATS  live  on  an  average  of  fourteen 
years  ;  a  bear  rarely  exceeds  twenty 
years  ;  a  dog  lives  twenty  years  ;  a 
wolf,  twenty  ;  a  fox,  fourteen  or  sixteen.  Lions 
£  are  long  lived — Pompey  lived  to  the  age  of 
seventy.  A  squirrel  and  hare,  seven  or  eight  years  ; 
rabbits  seven.  Elephants  have  been  known  to  live 
to  the  great  age  of  four  hundred  years.  When 
Alexander  the  Great  had  conquered  one  Porus, 
king  of  India,  he  took  a  great  elephant  which  had 
fought  valiantly  fer  the  king,  named  him  Ajax,  and 
dedicated  him  to  the  sun,  and  let  him  go  with 
this  inscription  :  "Alexander,  the  son  of  Jupiter, 
had  dedicated  Ajax  to  the  sun."  This  elephant 
was  found  three  hundred  and  fifty-four  years  after. 
Pigs  have  been  known  to  live  to  the  age  of  thirty 
years ;  the  rhinoceros  to  twenty.  A  horse  has 
been  known  to  live  to  the  age  of  sixty-two,  but  av- 
erages twenty-five  to  thirty.  Camels  sometimes 
live  to  the  age  of  one  hundred.  Stags  are  long- 
lived.  Sheep  seldom  exceed  the  age  of  ten.  Cows 


230  MERRY'S    BOOK 

live  about  fifteen  years  ;  Cuvier  considers  it  pro- 
bable that  whales  sometimes  live  to  the  age  of  one 
thousand.  The  dolphin  and  porpoise  attain  the 
age  of  thirty.  An  eagle  died  at  Vienna  at  the  age 
of  one  hundred  and  four  years.  Ravens  have  fre- 
quently reached  the  age  of  one  hundred.  Swans 
have  been  known  to  live  three  hundred  and  sixty 
years.  Mr.  Mallerton  has  the  skeleton  of  a  swan 
that  attained  the  age  of  two  hundred  and  ninety 
years.  Pelicans  are  long-lived.  A  tortoise  has 
been  known  to  live  to  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
seven. 


THE  Arabs  say,  that  every  race  of  animals  is  go- 
verned by  its  chief,  to  whom  the  others  are  bound 
to  pay  obeisance.  The  king  of  the  crocodiles  holds 
his  court  at  the  bottom  of  the  Nile,  near  Siout. 
The  king  of  the  fleas, lives  at  Tiberias,  in  the  Holy 
Land,  and  deputations  of  illustrious  fleas  visit  him 
on  a  certain  day,  in  his  palace,  situated  in  a  beauti- 
ful garden,  in  the  Lake  of  Genesareth. 


OP     ANIMALS 


231 


THE  IBEX. 


T 


HE  Ibex  inhabits  some  of  the  mountainous  re- 
gions of  Europe  and  Asia.  It  is  sometimes 
found  among  the  Alps  and  Pyrenees.  It  is  esteem- 
ed a  great  prize  by  the  hunters,  who  give  them 
chase  with  great  eagerness,  and  run  into  perils  and 
hardships  innumerable  to  procure  them.  The  hoofs 
are  very  strong  and  sharp,  securing  them  a  firm 
footing  on  the  rocks  they  inhabit.  They  are  ex- 
pert leapers,  and  the  time  between  the  leaps  is  so 
short,  that  the  animal  resembles  an  elastic  sub- 


232 

stance,  instead  of  a  living  creature  renewing  its 
efforts  at  every  leap.  When  pursued,  they  take  to 
the  glaciers,  along  which  they  bound  with  great 
rapidity,  clearing  chasms  of  a  good  many  feet, 
though,  in  general,  they  do  not  resort  to  such  places 
as  they  furnish  no  food. 

Altogether,  the  Ibex  is  an  interesting  animal, 
and  it  is  not  the  less  so  that  it  is  found  only  in  the 
wildest  and  most  inaccessible  places,  and  being 
sought  for  at  the  extreme  peril  of  the  hunter.  One 
almost  regrets  their  success,  notwithstanding  their 
boldness,  for  the  animals  are  very  near  extirpation. 

The  Ibex  resembles  the  goat  in  form,  but  the 
head  is  smaller  in  proportion.  The  eyes  are  large, 
round  and  brilliant,  and  even  fiery  in  expression. 
The  horns  are  flat ;  they  incline  backwards  and 
downwards. 


OF     A  NIM ALS. 


233 


DON'T  KILL  THE  BUTTERFLIES. 


HOW  delightful  the  early  morning  walk  !  How 
bracing  the  bright  air  of  a  fine  October  morn 
ing  especially  !  And  it  seems  to  me  as  if  children 
more  than  others  enjoy  the  early  walk.  Such  was 
my  conclusion,  at  least,  on  the  particular  morning 
whereon  hangs  my  little  story.  How  the  sun  did 
shine  !  how  meekly  did  the  harebell  bow  its  delicate 
head,  quite  unable  to  look  up,  because  of  its  pearly 


234  MERRY'S   BOOK 

jewels !  How  beautiful  the  contrast  between  its 
pale  azure  and  the  fine  yellow  of  the  ladies'  bed- 
straw  !  Such  are  a  few  of  the  common  things  so 
delightful  to  an  observing  eye,  which  met  and  lured 
us  on  in  that  walk.  Nor  must  I  forget  the  butter- 
flies— blue,  white,  pink,  brown,  and  gold — flitting 
about  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  brief,  bright  life. 
No  wonder  that  the  children  felt  happy  ;  no  won- 
der that  it  was  thought  "  time  enough  for  school 
yet  I"  And  now,  in  the  midst  of  all  this  beauty, 
pause  awhile — hark  ! — hush  I  What  did  Edwin 
say  ?  Again  was  the  clear  voice  of  the  little  boy 
distinctly  heard — too  distinctly  for  her  who  had 
undertaken  the  mental  training  of  the  hitherto 
misguided  one. 

"  Kill  it !  kill  it !     There,  I  have  it  I" 

"  No,  Edwin,  you  must  not,  can  not  kill  so  beauti- 
ful a  creature,"  said  the  lady  before  alluded  to. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  always  kill  them  1  See  how  soon  I 
can  bring  it  down !"  and  away  he  ran,  hat  in  hand, 
intent  only  on  the  destruction  of  the  happy  flutter- 
ing insects  which  beautified  his  path. 

No  more  was  said  just  then,  as  by  this  time  both 
the  butterfly  and  its  pursuer  were  far  away.  Pre- 
sently, however,  was  heard  the  cry  of  victory. 

"  I  have  killed  it !  I  have  killed  it  1  It  led  me  a, 
chase,  but  I  brought  it  down  at  last !  There  it 
lies !" 

"Yes,"  said  the  lady,  "  there  it  lies  I — its  painted, 


OF     ANIMALS. 

Velvety  wings  lie  in  the  dust  ;  no  more  will  it  wing 
its  way  through  the  delicious  morning  air,  and  de- 
light you  and  me  when  we  again  walk  out.  Edwin, 
do  you  feel  happier  now  that  you  have  taken  away 
the  life  given  to  that  little  creature  by  its  God  and 
yours  ?" 

The  little  boy  hung  his  head,  but  made  no  reply  j 
and  school-time  having  now  fairly  arrived,  he  was 
left  to  his  own  thoughts,  and  the  lady  to  hers  ;  the 
latter  not  being  without  hope  that  the  "  word 
spoken  in  season"  might  prove  to  be  good. 

Again  was  preparation  made  for  the  happy  "  go- 
ing out."  "  I  wonder,  Edwin,"  said  the  lady,  "  if 
the  butterflies  have  trimmed  their  feathers  this 
morning  ?" 


"  Feathers  1"  said  the  little  boy,  in  evident  aston- 
ishment ;  "  birds  have  feathers — not  butterflies !" 

"  Well,"  said  the  lady,  "  I  am  only  sorry  I  have 
no  microscope,  which  would  show  you  that  what 
appears  like  fine  dust  scattered  on  their  wings,  is  in 
reality  feathers  of  delicate  texture,  and  each  fur- 
nished with  a  quill,  strange  as  it  may  seem  to  you. 


236  MERRY'S    BOOK 

Moreover,  the  wings  are  finished  by  a  fringe,  of 
more  exquisite  manufacture  than  ever  adorned  the 
royal  robes  of  any  other  than  a  fairy  queen.  On 
the  outside  of  its  little  eye-ball  are  placed  no  fewer 
than  forty  thousand  perfect  lenses,  or,  if  you  will, 
little  eyes,  which  seem  to  say,  so  much  beauty  had 
need  to  be  well  guarded." 

The  boy  opened  his  blue  eyes  a  little  wider  than 
usual,  but  still  said  nothing.  But  why  did  the  but- 
terflies flit  unmolested  by  Edwin  in  that  walk  ? 
Why  was  the  little  straw  hat  unlifted,  and  the 
hitherto  ready  arm  unraised  ?  And  who  is  it  that 
stands  earnestly  beseeching  a  group  of  boys  to 
spare  the  butter/lies  ?  It  was  Edwin.  Need  I  speak 
of  the  lady's  feelings  at  these  happy  results  ?  or 
need  I  say  how  much  more  of  real  pleasure  that 
little  boy  himself  now  feels  since  he  has  learned  to 
admire  and  spare  the  butterflies  ? 


OF      ANIMALS. 


237 


THE    HORSE. 

ORSES  are  among  the  no- 
blest of  animals  if  not  the 
most  useful  to  man.  In  a 
wild  state  they  are  found 
in  large  droves,  numbering 
sometimes  a  thousand  or 
more.  Powerful  as  they 
are,  however,  they  never 
attack  other  animals,  but 
content  themselves  with 
acting  on  the  defensive.  When  they  lie  down  to 
rest,  they  generally  leave  some  of  their  number  as 
sentinels,  to  give  notice  of  the  approach  of  danger. 
When  the  alarm  is  given,  by  a  loud  neighing  of  the 
sentinels,  the  whole  troop  start  to  their  feet,  and, 
after  taking  a  view  of  their  enemy,  either  give 
them  instant  battle,  or  gallop  off  with  inconceivable 
speed. 

When  they  determine  on  battle,  they  close  round 
the  enemy  on  all  sides,  and  trample  him  to  death. 
If  the  attack  is  of  a  very  serious  character,  they 
form  a  circle,  in  the  centre  of  which  the  young  are 
placed  with  their  mothers.  The  rest  arranging 
themselves  with  their  heels  towards  their  foes,  re- 
pel the  most  vigorous  attacks. 

Many  a  careless  boy,  and  unfortunate  man,  knows, 


238 


MERE  Y'S     BOOK 


from  bitter  experience,  what  a  powerful  instrument 
of  defence  the  horse  possesses  in  his  heels. 

The  most  beautiful  horses  in  the  world  are  the 
Arabian,  though  there  are  different  races  of  them, 
as  well  as  in  other  countries.  The  most  remarka- 


THE     HORSE. 

blu  and  valuable  among  them,  are  the  Kochlan, 
who,  to  an  uncommon  gentleness  and  docility,  and 
a  singular  attachment  to  their  masters,  unite  a 
courage  and  intrepidity  worthy  of  the  best  trained 
war-horse.  They  have  an  astonishing  power  of  re- 


OF     ANIMALS. 

membering  the  places  where  they  have  been,  and 
the  treatment  they  have  received. 

The  intelligence  of  this  race  of  horses  is  'almost 
incredible.  He  knows  when  he  is  sold  to  a  new 
master,  or  even  when  his  old  master  is  bargaining 
to  sell  him.  When  the  proprietor  and  the  purchas- 
er meet  for  that  purpose  in  the  stables,  the  Koch- 
Ian  appears  instantly  to  guess  what  is  going  on. 
He  becomes  restless  and  dissatisfied ;  casts  fre- 
quent angry  glances  from  his  beautiful  eye  at 
the  merchant,  paws  the  ground  impatiently  with 
his  feet,  and  exhibits  other  unmistakable  signs  oi 
discontent.  Neither  the  buyer,  nor  any  other 
stranger,  dares  to  come  near  him.  But,  when  the 
bargain  is  concluded,  and  the  vender,  taking  the 
Kochlan  by  the  halter,  gives  him  up  to  the  pur- 
chaser, and  turns  away,  the  horse  becomes  imme- 
diately tractable  and  submissive.  From  that  mo- 
ment he  is  mild  and  faithful  to  his  new  master,  as 
he  had  been  to  his  old  one.  This  is  no  idle  story. 
It  is  w^ell  attested  by  English  residents  in  the  East, 
as  well  as  by  Turkish,  Arabian,  and  Armenian  mer- 
chants. 

We  can  hardly  wonder  at  the  extreme  gentleness 
and  docility  of  the  Arabian  horses,  when  we  con- 
sider how  they  arc  treated.  The  Arabs  live  con- 
stantly in  tents.  These  they  always  share  with 
their  horses.  The  mare  and  her  foal  occupy  the 
same  corner  where  the  children  sleep,  and  often 


240 


MERRY'S    BOOK 


Svirve  them  for  a  pillow.  They  may  often  be  seen 
prattling  to  their  colts  as  our  children  do  to  their 
pet  dogs,  patting  them  on  their  necks  and  faces, 
stroking  down  their  soft  hair,  climbing  on  their 
bodies,  and  hanging  about  their  necks,  with  the 
fondness  and  fearlessness  of  childhood. 

The  Arabian  horses  are  always  well  fed,  and 
never  whipped.  The  use  of  the  lash  is  not  known 
among  them,  and  it  is  only  in  the  utmost  extremity 
that  the  spur  is  used,  and  then  as  sparingly  as  pos- 
sible. They  are  seldom,  if  ever  overburdened,  or 
overworked,  but  are  treated  with  as  much  care  and 
tenderness  as  any  member  of  the  family. 


•    °- 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SANTA  CRUZ 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  DATE  stamped  below. 

To  renew  by  phone,  call  459-2756 

Books  not  returned  or  renewed  within  1 4  days 

after  due  date  are  subject  to  billing. 


